[blindlaw] American currency and other accessibility issues.

[Joshua E. Saunders]

I have been listening to the debate on both sides of the issue, with regards
to currency accessibility.  The Federation has a point in that there could
be a backlash if the public comes to resent blind people for demanding too
many accommodations.  At the same time I don't think we should simply make
the assumption that that is the attitude most cited people will have.  Cited
people who I've talked to have seen it as a positive thing.  It's possible
that because I am blind they feel like they have to respond in this way.  I
haven't gotten any sense of deceptiveness in people's responses however.

 

Since we have been talking about accessibility issues I wanted to raise one
which I have been thinking about.  Touch screens are ubiquitous parts of the
ATM machines at supermarkets.  There also present as a part of many other
common machines such as the automatic ticket machines for Amtra I found
myself in a very uncomfortable situation when I had to hand my credit card
to a total stranger in order to have my previously purchased ticket
extracted from the machine.  Now I simply do not by my tickets in advance,
so that I don't have to use the machine.  k.  I wanted people 's thoughts on
whether we should work to have this technology made more accessible.  To me
it seems just as important as making web sites accessible, because of how
common the technology has become.,

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I have been listening to the debate on both sides of the issue, with regards to currency accessibility.  The Federation has a point in that there could be a backlash if the public comes to resent blind people for demanding too many accommodations.  At the same time I don't think we should simply make the assumption that that is the attitude most cited people will have.  Cited people who I've talked to have seen it as a positive thing.  It's possible that because I am blind they feel like they have to respond in this way.  I haven't gotten any sense of deceptiveness in people's responses however.
 
Since we have been talking about accessibility issues I wanted to raise one which I have been thinking about.  Touch screens are ubiquitous parts of the ATM machines at supermarkets.  There also present as a part of many other common machines such as the automatic ticket machines for Amtra I found myself in a very uncomfortable situation when I had to hand my credit card to a total stranger in order to have my previously purchased ticket extracted from the machine.  Now I simply do not by my tickets in advance, so that I don't have to use the machine.  k.  I wanted people 's thoughts on whether we should work to have this technology made more accessible.  To me it seems just as important as making web sites accessible, because of how common the technology has become.,