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Aug 12, 2008 11:37 am US/Central
Blind Americans Seek Redesign Of Currency
Under Current System, The Blind Can't Tell Dollar Bills Apart
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Blind Americans have sued the U.S. Treasury, seeking a redesign of paper currency to make it distinguishable for the blind.
CBS
The U.S. Treasury Department still has time to appeal a court ruling ordering it to change paper money so that blind people can tell one bill from another.
As CBS 2 Disabilities Reporter Jim Mullen explains, other countries have adapted their paper currency for the blind – and many blind Americans hope the U.S. will follow the trend.
One such man is Ray Campbell, who has been blind since birth, but leads an independent life that includes grocery shopping.
"I was born and raised on a farm," Campbell said as he walked through a produce aisle. "I know good produce when I see it."
Campbell needs some help getting around the store, but he needs the most help at the cash register. His blindness leaves him unable to determine which dollar bills are which, and he is left asking the cashier.
Campbell and other blind and visually impaired people are among those who filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury. They goal was make sure the next time was redesigned, it would be accessible, or easier to use for those who cannot see.
Many other countries have bills of different sizes, shapes and textures, which the blind have no difficulty telling apart. Campbell uses Canadian money as an example.
"There's a foil strip – it goes all across the paper. This one has the foil as well, but not all across the bill – that way, I know this bill is a 10 and this is a 5," Campbell said as he examined two Canadian dollar bills.
But not all people think accessible money is a good idea. The National Federation of the Blind says changing currency could send the message that blind people are incapable of managing their own money.
But Campbell disagrees.
"A huge part of participating in society is being able to go out and spend money, and know which money you're spending," Campbell said. "That's all we as blind and visually impaired people want."
Many blind people devise a system to tell one bill from another. They often fold each denomination a different way – a $5 bill may be folded lengthwise, a $10 bill widthwise, and a $1 bill not at all.
The Treasury Department said early next year, it expects to receive the results of a study on ways to help the blind and visually impaired.
The agency says it will see what it can do, as it develops new production equipment in the future.
In an ideal world, credit and debit cards may seem like an ideal solution, But the fact is, not everyone accepts them.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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