Braille and other formats also to
be made available
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The nation’s three major consumer credit
reporting companies today unveiled a comprehensive program to provide improved
access to important credit information for people who are blind or visually
impaired. The initiative, crafted with the American Council of the Blind, its
Under the plan announced today, Equifax (NYSE: EFX), Experian (EXPN.LN), and TransUnion have begun working to make online credit reports and related information accessible through their jointly operated website, AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site to help consumers obtain free credit reports. Accessible credit reports for people with visual impairments will be available online by October 31 of this year. By the end of the year, the companies will also make credit reports available in braille and other formats at no charge to qualified individuals who cannot access print information.
“We are thrilled with the commitment of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to provide credit information in accessible formats,” said Melanie Brunson, Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind. “The initiative being announced today will help people with visual impairments fight identity theft by independently monitoring and reviewing their credit reports as all members of the public should.”
“By creating AnnualCreditReport.com, Equifax and the other two nationwide credit reporting companies gave consumers easy access to their credit information and this latest initiative is yet another example of how, as an industry, we are extending this access to consumers with visual impairments,” said Dann Adams, President, Equifax U.S. Consumer Information Solutions.
“Experian has a long history of
providing quality credit products and services to consumers, and we were
excited by the opportunity to improve access for consumers with visual
impairments to these important tools,” said Kerry Williams, group president,
Credit Services & Decision Analytics, Experian
Americas.
“TransUnion is very pleased to be a part of this important effort that will help empower visually impaired consumers to manage their own credit health," said Mark Marinko, president of Consumer Services at TransUnion.
Web Site Access
Today’s initiative includes a commitment to design online credit reports and related web pages in accordance with guidelines issued by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (www.w3.org/wai). The guidelines, which do not affect the content or look and feel of a web site, ensure that web sites are accessible to people with visual disabilities. The guidelines are of particular benefit to blind computer users who use screen reader or magnification technology on their computers and who rely on a keyboard instead of a mouse.
“Web site accessibility is of great importance to both the blind community and to people with disabilities generally,” said Jeff Thom, ACB board member and president of the California Council of the Blind. “We applaud the leadership role taken by all the credit reporting companies in committing to address the accessibility of AnnualCreditReport.com and online credit reports, helping to protect the financial security of a wide range of online consumers.”
“We truly appreciate the credit reporting companies’
willingness to engage in discussions with us to find a solution to the problem
of inaccessible credit reports,” said Paul Parravano,
a blind MIT employee in
About American Council of the Blind (ACB) and
American Council of the Blind is a national consumer-based
advocacy organization working on behalf of blind and visually impaired
Americans throughout the country, with members organized through 70 state and
special-interest affiliates. California Council of the Blind is the
About Equifax:
Equifax (www.equifax.com) empowers businesses and consumers with information they can trust. A global leader in information solutions, employment and income verification and human resources business process outsourcing services, we leverage one of the largest sources of consumer and commercial data, along with advanced analytics and proprietary technology, to create customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers.
Customers have trusted Equifax for over 100 years to deliver innovative solutions with the highest integrity and reliability. Businesses – large and small – rely on us for consumer and business credit intelligence, portfolio management, fraud detection, decisioning technology, marketing tools, HR/payroll services, and much more. We empower individual consumers to manage their personal credit information, protect their identity and maximize their financial well-being.
Headquartered in
About Experian:
Experian® is a global leader in providing information, analytical and
marketing services to organizations and consumers to help manage the risk and
reward of commercial and financial decisions.
Combining
its unique information tools and deep understanding of individuals, markets and
economies, Experian partners with organizations
around the world to establish and strengthen customer relationships and provide
their businesses with competitive advantage.
For
consumers, Experian delivers critical information
that enables them to make financial and purchasing decisions with greater
control and confidence.
Clients
include organizations from financial services, retail and catalog,
telecommunications, utilities, media, insurance, automotive, leisure,
e-commerce, manufacturing, property and government
sectors.
Experian Group Limited
is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE
100 index. It has corporate headquarters in
For
more information, visit the group’s web site, www.experiangroup.com.
About TransUnion:
As a global leader in credit and information management, TransUnion creates advantages for millions of people around
the world by gathering, analyzing and delivering information. For businesses, TransUnion helps improve efficiency, manage risk, reduce
costs and increase revenue by delivering comprehensive data and advanced
analytics and decisioning. For consumers, TransUnion provides the tools, resources and education to
help manage their credit health and achieve their financial goals. Through
these and other efforts, TransUnion is working to build
stronger economies worldwide. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in
CONTACTS
For the Blind
Community:
Lainey Feingold
(510) 548-5062
lfeingold@earthlink.net
Linda Dardarian
(510) 763-9800
ldardarian@gdblegal.com
For The Credit
Reporting Companies:
Equifax
Jennifer Costello
(404) 885-8907
Jennifer.costello@equifax.com
Experian:
Susan Henson
(714) 830-5129
Susan.henson@experian.com
TransUnion:
Steven R. Katz
(312) 985-2373
skatz@transunion.com