Posted on 09/02/2009 7:45:12 AM PDT by JoeProBono
A Florida man born without arms says a Tampa bank would not let him cash a check because he couldn't provide a thumbprint.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Toes would work too, the computer doesn’t care...
This sounds like something the government would do.
This is what happens in a over-regulated industries...
I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.
I believe this would fall under the reasonable accommodation clause of the ADA where he should be provided with an alternative means (toe print, photo id copy, etc). I am curious the ‘rest of the story’, if he was offered such an accommodation and refused.
If he was a long-time member of that bank, I would think he knew their policy, otherwise, couldn’t he just go to a different bank?
I work in a bank. We obtain the right thumb print of a non-customer cashing an on-us check. If they don’t have a right thumb, we get their left thumb, if that’s not available, we choose any finger. I don’t think we’ve ever been faced with an armless person. I’ll have to see what our policy is regarding that....
It certainly is an interesting problem, isn’t it. I’d be interested in what your bank tells you.
Sounds like we have a dumb ass for a bank manager.
I agree. I see an ADA lawsuit coming.
Most likely it is simply the case of the clerk/teller just not knowing what to do. They have procedures they have to follow and they could be fired for not following. If it isn’t specifically documented what to do in this case, they probably played it safe.
from the article:
He says a bank manager told him he could either come back to the bank with his wife or open an account himself.
Yeah, and someone’s just going to have to put their foot down too.
Me either.
The bank manager is the moron who turned him away. He should have either allowed a toe print or called his boss. As it is, he could be facing an ADA lawsuit. That is NOT playing it safe.
How assinine. The purpose of this program is positive identification of the person cashing the check. Having someone with no arms is a pretty positive identification if there is ever any question on who cashed the check. This is not an electronic system and really is more evidentiary than identification. I think it would be hard for a jury to believe that another person who looks like the suspect and had no arms cahed the check.
Some people just don’t have the sense they were born with.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.