[Blindtlk] FW: FNC Alert

[Brian Miller]

All,
I certainly have never had any problems spending my money -- accessibility
has never kept the bills from flying from my hands seemingly of their own
accord.

I agree with our stance that there are bigger fish to fry in this country
with respect to getting more money in blind peoples' hands rather than more
accessible money.

However, I am less convinced that this issue is one of those that costs us
respect among the sighted.  I think one of the reasons we might feel that it
could is because this seems to be one of the issues that most fascinates
sighted people.  How many times a day do we get asked, "How do you tell your
money apart?"  This question comes up so often that I think we have an
reflexive response -- "I fold them a certain way, it's no big deal."  I
think the whole topic is kind of banal and  little embarrassing to us
because of its lack of centrality to our lives.  Yet it symbolizes the gap
between what the public thinks is important to us, and what we think is
important to us (well, most of us anyway).

One question we might ask, however, is why every other country in the world
has bills that are different in size and color according to denomination .
This has been the case for many decades -- long before the issues of
accessibility were entering at a broad social level.  Why is this no big
deal everywhere else in the world, and yet it seems to work us into a froth?

I think what needs to happen is that the issue needs to be framed not in
terms of helping out the poor blind people, but creating a system of coinage
that works for everyone -- sighted, blind, seniors, everyone.  Also, the
question of cost should be squarely addressed.  And as I've pointed out
before, the use of coins solves this problem as the treasury would actually
save money by switching to coins for smaller denominations.  This would lead
to buy in by all involved.

Brian Miller

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kasondra Payne" <Kassyp36 at msn.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2006 7:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] FW: FNC Alert


> I thought of this most recent discussion as I went out to transact some
> business with cold hard paper cash.  I got my cash at the bank, and I
> arranged it appropriately.  I then went to the customer service counter at
> the grocery store, where they process payments for my local utility
> companies.  I did my business with the young man behind the counter, and
he
> had no problem giving me change.  He even counted it out correctly, and he
> identified the bills without my asking.  How nice and considerate!  I went
> on to lunch, and I had no problems paying in cash.  Then I went on to
> Wall-mart, and they took my cash there just like everywhere else.  There
was
> no issue of me, a blind woman, paying with cash.  I have handled paper
> currency for many years, and I don't think about our money not having any
> tactile identification.  It is cash, and as long as I have some, I have no
> problems.  If tactile currency or other such things are going to cost
blind
> people the respect of those we live and work with, it isn't really worth
it.
> We need the accommodations that we really need.
>
> Kasondra Payne
>
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