Dollar General today announced that it has begun installing new point of sale equipment that will protect the privacy of Dollar General shoppers with visual impairments. The new devices have tactile keys arranged like a standard telephone keypad. They will allow Dollar General shoppers who have difficulty reading information on a touch screen to privately and independently enter their PIN and other confidential information.

Dollar General has installed the first tactile devices at several stores in Texas. The new equipment will be installed in all of Dollar General’s 8,300 stores in the United States in less than eighteen months.

Today’s announcement is the result of collaboration between Dollar General and the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Melanie Brunson, Executive Director of the Washington, D.C. based ACB, praised Dollar General’s actions: “Dollar General has recognized that customers with visual impairments should not be asked to disclose their PIN and other confidential information when purchasing products and services. We applaud Dollar General’s announcement and recognize the company’s leadership in acknowledging the needs of blind shoppers.”