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

[McCarthy, Jim]

Hello,
I am with Ray on this one.  It is really hard for me to believe that
they suggested credit and debit cards as a solution.  It does appear to
be the case that younger Americans use these cards for goods and
services that most of us a bit older do not.  However, though I
recognize that fact, I do not think that credit and debit cards can
reasonably be argued as an acceptable solution for blind people.

There is a greater amount of trust required by blind people to accept
that they are not being improperly charged for purchases, given the fact
that the point of sale machines are absolutely not accessible.  At best,
the blind can enter their PIN at Wall Mart now and need not ask the
cashier to do so.  Admittedly, one can, soon after making a transaction,
check on line to be sure that the charge is correct.  However, if it is
not, there is something of a hassle to fix it though probably no
liability on the blind person, just the hassle of doing so.

Yesterday, I saw in either the Washington Post or the New York Times
that the government was holding out credit and debit cards a solution,
and I could not believe that was going to be the argument to reverse the
Robertson decision.  I personally do not agree with the Robertson
decision, though I think it was pretty well constructed, but I think
this is one of the crazier arguments I could have imagined.  If that is
the best the government can do, they probably should save themselves the
trouble of appealing.
Jim McCarthy

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of stevep.deeley
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 9:51 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Bush administration fights Blind's access to
currency

Just use a credit card and pay it off every month.  Employed or
unemployed, I'm quite certain that credit card companies will give you
all of the credit you can handle!
Steve

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ray Wayne" <RWayne1 at nyc.rr.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 12:18 AM
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Bush administration fights Blind's access to
currency


> 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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