[blindlaw] Bush administration fights Blind's access to currency

[Ray Wayne]

If those are the grounds of their appeal, they are off base.  While they can
be useful for blind people in retail who handle a lot of cash, I,
personally, would not spend money on a money identifier when my current
system of folding different bills differently works for me.
Even more strikingly, most debit card machines I have seen are not user
friendly to the blind.  Because the numbers on the keypad cannot be
distinguished by touch, a blind person would have to give his/her PIN to
another person, possibly a total stranger.  I, for one, will never do that.
Finally, let's not forget that credit cards generally charge interest, and
unemployed blind people may be unable to obtain them.
If the Bush administration wants to fight this thing, they should, at least,
use the strongest arguments.  It will be interesting if Judge Tatel is on
the panel.  No doubt his colleagues will consult him.
Ray
----- Original Message -----
From: "dlb723" <dlb723 at comcast.net>
To: <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 5:55 PM
Subject: [blindlaw] Bush administration fights Blind's access to currency


U.S. government appeals ruling on changes to currency for the blind
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration on Tuesday asked the U.S.
Circuit Court
of Appeals for the District of Columbia to overturn a lower court ruling
requiring that the federal government redesign the nation's paper money to
aid
the blind in differentiating between denominations of bills.
U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson ruled last month that the U.S.
Treasury Department is violating the law by keeping all paper money the same
size
and feel, preventing blind people from distinguishing the amount.
Robertson, in a ruling on a suit by the American Council of the Blind,
ordered the feds to come up with a way to tell bills apart.
In its appeal, the Bush administration disagreed with Robertson's ruling
that the blind were denied "meaningful access" to money by the same-sized
bills
because portable currency readers exist to help distinguish the bills. The
government also said blind people can use credit and debit cards instead of
cash.



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