Inadequate Accessibility of Differently-abled Persons in Banking Services: A hindrance for Achieving SDGs

Abstract

Differently-abled Persons (DAPs) is a minority group in the world for their constricted access to financial activities along with health, education, and care. The SDGs provide an opportunity to trigger systematic social and economic changes towards a sustainable future by empowering the vulnerable groups with a full spectrum of their rights. The urgency of increasing financial inclusion also requires the discussion about accessibility in banking services issue as we consider banks as the nerve system of all economic developments in a country. The focus of this paper is mostly on to explore a new and explicit concept on inadequate accessibility of DAP in banking services comes along with a major way of conceptual appearance to lead towards the unfulfillment of SDGs. Inadequate accessibility in financial services prevents DAP from having fair shot at the achievement of prosperity by developing their potentials. The study adopted a mixed method approach covering survey of 400 bank employees by using a semi-structured questionnaire; and 4 FGDs with the DAPs.  The findings suggest that DAPs have less access in significant banking services like- foreign exchange service, general loan, spot cash etc. This paper points out that adequate accessibility issue is imperative in promoting financial inclusion for DAPs. Through this attempt, banking services and facilities could be more accessible to the DAPs for their financial and socio-economic development and the pathway to their life changing progression ultimately that will lead to the fulfilment of targets of SDGs. The novelty of this research is that it thinks about inadequate accessibility of financial services from the perspective of the inclusiveness for DAPs in developing countries.

Key words: DAP, Inadequate accessibility, Banking services, and SDGs

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/14-6-05

Publication date: July 30th 2024