Federal Appeals Court Rules Paper Money Discriminates against Blind

AOL Money and Finance ^ | 2008-05-20 16:28:58 | AP

[apillar]

WASHINGTON (May 20) - The U.S. discriminates against blind people by printing paper money that makes it impossible for them to distinguish among the bills' varying values, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

The ruling upholds a decision by a lower court in 2006. It could force the Treasury Department to redesign its money. Suggested changes have ranged from making bills different sizes to printing them with raised markings.

[apillar]

Get ready for your braille money, courtesy of activist judges

[IrishCatholic]

Actually, my question is: Did the court publish its decision in braille too?

Seriously, anyone close enough to know? I just love irony.

[frankjr]

I say go with talking money where the portrait on the bill would tell you what the bill is worth.

[madison10]

Oh, for crying out loud... Why don’t they just make the money pink for breast cancer and call it a day?

[allmost]

It discriminates against forgetful people as well if they lose it. It discriminates against ill informed people when they spend it unwisely. Sigh. I guess they could alter the strip inside of the bills so that it was in a different place on different denominations. If you can read braille you can detect it.

[Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh]

Is this from The Onion?

[SkyDancer]

Just have the blind request any paper money be given to them in one dollar denominations. This decision will discriminate against the people with vision because if the size of the bill is changed then vending machine companies will have all sorts of problems. Then too, how does a blind person know what vending machine they’re standing in front of ... right, some sighted person will have to tell them ... also, don’t all ATM’s have braille including drive-up ATM’s ..... somewhere some person, group, whatever will be discriminated against.

[Kickass Conservative]

My 84 year old blind Aunt either folds bills differently by denomination or Brailles each bill.
She lost her sight to Glaucoma at age 23 and she never whines or complains. She lives alone after losing her husband and keeps me on an even keel when things go bad.

THAT IS WHY SHE ISN'T A LIBERAL.

PEOPLE HAVE TWO EYES, TWO LEGS, TEN FINGERS AND TEN TOES AND THEY STILL WHINE AND BITCH AT EVERY OBAMA AND HILLARY RALLY THEY CAN ATTEND. IT MUST REALLY SUCK TO BE A LIBERAL.

[Ouderkirk]

Last I knew, the Mint still pressed coins. They have alternatives for paper.

[FMBass]

OK, so they ruled, but how about asking the blind if the US should change it’s currency to make it easier for them, before going through all the expense of making the change.

[allmost]

Next time your buying groceries and get behind someone in line paying with change... /s They should use plastic. Most card machines are outdated as it. I can’t see it as being terribly difficult to modify them for access.

[FFranco]

This is kind of off topic. First, I don’t agree with the court’s opinion.

Second, I really like bank notes in some foreign countries with different sizes and colors for different denominations. US coins are different sizes and colors, why not our paper currency?

[pabianice]

While we’re at it, what about people who are blue-green color blind? Is that money really colored or not? And speaking of “colored money,” that’s racist! All our bills should be gray, with a married gay couple in the portrait so as not to offend the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered Bestiality Incestuous Cannibal members of our society. And what about the numbers on the bills? What if I use other than arabic numerals? That’s discrimination! And this In God We Trust fascism. Gone! Don’t get me started...

[Repeal 16-17]

Actually, my question is: Did the court publish its decision in braille too?

Of course not! Don't you know that court aren't bound by the rulings they make. That's why the Supreme Court building has reference to religion, but no other government building may have such references.

I expect this ruling to be reheard en banc. This is too embarrassing a decision for the other members of this court to allow to stand.

[paudio]

I don't think it needs to be in braille. Simply different size for different nominal would do. Not for now, but when they're releasing a new money, they can use a new plate.

[KitJ]

And the instrument panel in my car is not in Braille! How dare the manufacturers exclude blind people when designing automobiles?

I feel my speedomoter needs to be in Braille so blind people can drive (I saw one today struggling without a Braille car).

After all, the drive through ATM I use has Braille.

No, wait. Instead, I think I’ll require the re-design of every freakin’ machine and implement in the country that takes paper money to accomodate people who are more than capable of overcoming adversity and challenges so I can feel better.

Bank counting machines.
The car wash.
The post office stamp machine.
vending machines.
Change machines.
Wallet manufacturers.
Cash register drawer manufacturers.
Money-holding greeting cards.

The list goes on...

[ought-six]

State driving laws discriminate against the blind. The FAA discriminates against the blind by not allowing them to have pilot’s licenses.

We have become a mockery. I sure hope there is no such thing as reincarnation because I’d sure hate to go through all this insanity twice.

[Tanniker Smith]

If every vending machine is sudddenly rendered obsolete, you can kiss paper money good-bye. The vending machines will switch to plastic PDQ.

[Drango]

It’s cheaper to just hire someone to walk around with the blind person and tell ‘em the bill denomination.

[anonsquared]

I saw this story on the news tonight. The first thing I thought was why should taxpayers pay billions of dollars to retool all of our bills? Every lottery machine in the country can tell which denomination bill is fed into it. Why can’t they put one of those readers in a wallet and then give it a voice? Oh wait, that would be using common sense. Nevermind.