Despite years of advocacy and awareness, traditional banks continue to fall short when it comes to serving people with disabilities. In 2026, the disability community still faces unnecessary barriers just to manage their own money.
We looked at the current state of disability banking to understand what's broken—and what needs to change.
In this article, we'll cover:
- The accessibility gap in traditional banking
- How banks fail representative payees
- The SSI compliance problem
- Why customer service falls short
- What disability-first banking looks like
- How Purple is doing things differently
1. The Accessibility Gap in Traditional Banking
Physical and digital accessibility remains a persistent problem at most major banks.
Physical barriers:
- ATMs without audio guidance or braille
- Branch layouts difficult to navigate with mobility aids
- Lack of quiet spaces for customers with sensory sensitivities
- Staff untrained in disability accommodations
Digital barriers:
- Mobile apps that don't work with screen readers
- Websites with poor color contrast and small text
- Authentication methods that assume certain physical abilities
- Time-limited sessions that don't accommodate slower users
Important: The Americans with Disabilities Act requires banks to provide accessible services, but enforcement is inconsistent and many institutions do the bare minimum.
2. How Banks Fail Representative Payees
Representative payees manage Social Security benefits for people who need help with their finances. Traditional banks make this harder than it needs to be.
Common problems:
- Confusing or incorrect account titling
- Requiring the beneficiary to be present when they can't be
- No tools for tracking spending by category
- Difficulty generating reports for SSA annual accounting
- Staff who don't understand rep payee requirements
- Accounts that co-mingle beneficiary funds with payee funds
Many rep payees end up using manual spreadsheets or paper records because their bank doesn't provide adequate tools. This creates more work and increases the risk of compliance errors.
3. The SSI Compliance Problem
For SSI recipients, staying under the $2,000 resource limit is critical. Traditional banks offer almost no help with this.
What SSI recipients need:
- Real-time balance visibility
- Alerts when approaching the limit
- Clear transaction history
- Easy spending tracking
What most banks offer:
- Delayed balance updates
- No customizable alerts for low thresholds
- Confusing statements with pending transactions
- Limited mobile functionality
The result? SSI recipients accidentally go over the limit and face benefit reductions or demands for repayment—not because they were trying to hide assets, but because their bank made it hard to know where they stood.
4. Why Customer Service Falls Short
When disability banking customers have problems, getting help is often frustrating.
Issues we see:
- Phone trees that are difficult to navigate with certain disabilities
- Long hold times without callback options
- Staff unfamiliar with SSA requirements or benefit rules
- No specialized support for rep payees or ABLE accounts
- Policies that don't account for disability-related circumstances
Banks train their customer service teams on products and fraud prevention, but rarely on the specific needs of customers with disabilities or those managing government benefits.
5. What Disability-First Banking Looks Like
Disability-first banking means designing every feature with the disability community in mind—not adding accessibility as an afterthought.
Key principles:
- Accessible by default: Apps and websites that work for everyone from day one
- Benefit-aware: Built-in tools that understand SSI limits and rep payee requirements
- Transparent: Real-time balances and clear transaction information
- Flexible: Account structures that accommodate different needs
- Supportive: Customer service that understands disability banking
This isn't about special accommodations. It's about building a banking experience that actually works for the millions of Americans with disabilities.
6. How Purple Is Doing Things Differently
Purple was founded specifically to serve the disability community. Every feature we build starts with the question: "Does this work for our customers?"
Accessibility:
- Mobile app designed for screen reader compatibility
- High-contrast interface options
- Clear, simple language throughout
- No time-limited sessions that create pressure
Benefit compliance:
- Real-time balance tracking
- Customizable alerts for resource limits
- Proper rep payee account titling
- Transaction categorization for easy reporting
- Tools to keep dedicated account funds separate
Rep payee support:
- Dashboard to manage beneficiary accounts
- Spending reports formatted for SSA annual accounting
- Debit cards with spending controls
- Notes and receipt storage for transactions
Customer service:
- Team trained on SSI, SSDI, and rep payee requirements
- Multiple contact options (phone, chat, email)
- No complicated phone trees
- Specialists who understand benefit rules
Traditional banks weren't built for the disability community. Purple was.