Council for the blind suing for more distinguishable currency (a quality of life issue...)

wfaa ^

[chance33_98]

Council for the blind suing for more distinguishable currency 
06/29/2002 

Associated Press

HOUSTON – Compared to the wide variety of colors and sizes other countries offer in their paper currency, U.S. greenbacks are comparatively boring in their sameness, even after recent redesigns.

The problem is more than monotonous money, according to the American Council of the Blind. It's quality of life.

"Time has come in this country where blind people should not have to ask, 'What bill is this?' or 'What bill is that?"' said Chris Gray, the council's president, Saturday in his report to the group's board at its national convention at a west Houston hotel.

The organization, which seeks to improve the conditions for the blind and visually impaired, sued the Treasury Department last month to force its way into the currency revamping process.

While the government is in the process with experimenting with new colors and other changes to traditional bills to thwart counterfeiters, advocates for the blind say Treasury has ignored their concerns.

"They are going to redesign the money next year," said Melanie Brunson, the council's advocacy director. "We felt that since this process already is under way, when you do that, remember us."

The last redesign occurred in 1996, but council spokesman Ralph Sanders, who is blind, said some of his visually impaired friends consider the new money was even harder to make out than the old bills.

"It's incredible the United States remains this bastion of indiscernible currency where the Brits and Europeans have been doing this for decades," he said.

Sanders added the lawsuit is not politically motivated: "The Clinton administration wasn't any more interested than the Bush administration. This is just when the fuse burned out."

The group is not promoting a specific change that would help blind and sight-impaired Americans sift through their money, but hopes the government will study an array of options that would be helpful.

A major step could be offering denominations in different colors and/or sizes with large-print features, like many other countries, Brunson said. Braille and textures also are possibilities, although the markings are prone to wearing off.

"We did not specify a particular option because, primarily, at this point we're trying to get the dialogue going," Brunson said.

The Treasury Department did not comment on the lawsuit when it was filed in Washington, D.C., on May 3. A spokeswoman said Saturday she would check to see if the Bureau of Engraving and Printing had any comment.

Government attorneys have until Aug. 15 to respond to the suit, Brunson said.

Gray estimated 150 countries print currency with blind accessibility in mind.

"Let's make our country the 151st," said Gray, to applause from a boardroom filled with blind and sight-impaired council officials.

[chance33_98]

A major step could be offering denominations in different colors

We could match this up with the new security alert system, and then to pricing items (the cost is three orange, two blue, and one yellow denomination) for the really slooow folks (like democrats)

[Bogey78O]

'A major step could be offering denominations in different colors'

How would that help the blind? Hard of seeing, yes. Blind, no.

Just another reason to screw up vending machines.....

[TheOtherOne]

We could give them a triangle bill and then the gays would be happy too.

[chance33_98]

With rainbow colors? :)

[shadowman99]

Braille is a terrible idea. All someone needs to do to rip off a blind person is take a 1 dollar bill and punch braille for $20

News coins would actually be a better way to make new currency. Coins can be different shapes, which helps the blind. They could also have microchips placed inside, making them harder to copy. Coins also are more durable than paper money.

[lizma]

Isn't the government thinking of reprinting money in different colors anyway?

Most of the people considered "blind" can still see something, especially color. For those who can't, make them different sizes. Smaller. Save paper. Make the enviro wackos happy.

On the other hand, I use to work with the blind.
I had one guy whose wife would punch small holes in his money so he could tell what it was but he couldn't tell what he was getting back. Said he never has been cheated.

We're not that mean. Contrary to what the Demo's would have you think.

[TheBattman]

Hey! I know what to do!

Let's just accelerate the move to a "cashless" society. Then we no longer have a need for those forms of currency that discriminate against this or that person.... I am certain this would be looked upon by the UN crowd as a step in the right direction for what most of us Christians refer to as the "tribulation" period.

This plan would work hand in hand with the microchiping technology already available....Big brother can then follow ALL of our activities....

In all seriousness - what alternatives are there if we are to cater to every single imaginable (or thus far un-imagined) "disability" and PC cause?

[boris]

Well, they put Braille on drive-up ATM machines...

...and replaced Old Hickory with Christopher Lee on the $20...

So who can say what is and isn't possible?

[calljack]

Blind people use a lot of taxis.

[FreedomFriend]

If they can distinguish colors, than they aren't truly blind. They may be legally blind, but they aren't truthfully blind.

Anyway, I think this is just a way for the anti-American regime to do away with our currency, which will, in given time, bring about the rise of a foreign currency on U.S. soil. The goal is to disconnect Americans from their history.

Do I think these individuals are behind it? Probably not. However, intentions have many time wielded unexpected results.

[FreedomFriend]

It's all about suing and lawsuits. This is getting old. For some reason, all these many decades, it wasn't that much of an issue, and now it's so important. Could it be money?

Furthermore, foreign bills do not look as distinguished. The American bill is one of the best designed, most "grown-up" looking currencies, not some cartoon-like slop thown on paper.

[dighton]

The breasts of a barmaid of Crale
Were tattooed with the price of brown ale,
While on her behind
For the sake of the blind
Was the same information in Braille.

-- Anonymous, collected here.

[Helix]

Why doesn't someone just market a portable scanner with currency recognition software that would tell the person what the bill is?

[Jhoffa_]

A major step could be offering denominations in different colors

I saw the title and was going to offer this suggestion as a joke.

Oh my..

[supercat]

I'm unimpressed with our "new" currency. In addition to the fact that it's not well suited to visually-impaired users despite the "low vision feature", it lacks any visually-obvious anti-counterfeiting features. Sure, if someone actually looks at a bill it's going to be obvious if it was run off on a color copier, but a lot of currency changes hands among people who don't critically examine it. IMHO, if the currency had been designed right a copy-machine counterfeit would stand out like a sore thumb. Too bad they didn't include any features to make it do so.

[goodieD]

This is another case of a special interest group suing to change something established for their own wishes. I'm sorry people are blind, deaf, crippled, retarded. But that's the hand you were dealt in life, you are going to have some hardships in life because of this. You aren't going to be able to do everything you want or need to do. When are people going to get rid of this notion that EVERYONE should be able to do EVERYTHING. There are certain things I can't do for one reason or another. But you don't see me suing anyone over it.

[Thorondir]

Great. Let's twist the entire country in ANOTHER knot for some whiney little minority. Ridiculous!

Liberalism must be crushed!

[chance33_98]

Let's twist the entire country in ANOTHER knot for some whiney little minority

I have herniated disks in my neck and back, so there are some things at stores I cannot lift when I go shopping. I think all items should come in 25lb or less size bags or the store should have to deliver it to me at no charge...yeah, that's the ticket. Make em deliver, keeps people off the road, saves the enviornment, and might save the life of one child because there are less people driving. < /obvious sarcasm>

[CIB-173RDABN]

In a fair and just society, the government would provide every blind person with an assistant whose only job would be to tell they the denomination of each bill they have. Lets see, you would need 24/7 hour coverage, so at least three people. Oh someone may want a day off, so you would need at least one extra to cover when one of the other three was. Yeah, that would work.

Or we can continue the way we has been every since there has been paper money.