[Blindtlk] FW: FNC Alert

Wed Nov 29 11:37:18 CST 2006

Hi Mike and All, 

Well, once again, I guess it all depends on your perspective.  I am very
thankful for the ability to read most of my own mail as opposed to
pestering/PAYING a sighted person to do it. There are countless other
ways in which computers/scanners have made us more independent.  I can
now pay my own bills via automation without having to ask someone to
write out checks for me, or typing them and hoping I got them centered
within the lines and they are completely legible.

Yes, like everything else, computers, scanners, whatever  have their
drawbacks, but I believe they've given us quite a bit of independence
too.

There are other ways they could make currency accessible without
necessarily making it different sizes.  They could use Braille, they
could use texture, a number of different things.  I think The Davids are
right and it is going to happen.  I think we would do well to give them
some feed back and let them know how it could best be done.

Independence and equality is my ultimate goal.  Not proving to the world
that I can prevail in the most primitive of circumstances.  

Diane Graves 
Civil Rights Specialist 
Indiana Civil Rights Commission 
Alternative Dispute Resolutions Unit 
317-232-2647 

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."--Winston
Churchill  

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-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Mike Freeman
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 11:54 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] FW: FNC Alert

Diane:

No, I am not elated. Computers are a great boon. But they're also
colossal 
time-wasters and,for some of us, have made some aspects of our lives
*less* 
independent than they were when we used readers. But computers are a
fact of 
life. And it is also a fact of life that we're *always* going to need
some 
help. All we're arguing about is the nature of that help.

I grant you that there is cheating in the world. I doubt, however, that 
having so-called "accessible" currency would make much difference in
this. I 
think I've been cheated maybe three times in fifty years and one of
these 
was probably my fault. I don't think that statistic would change much
with 
altered currency.

Moreover, with more and more transactions being handled by credit and
debit 
cards, are we next going to demand that all receipts and credit card
slips 
be embossed in braille? That's the logical extension of this accessible 
currency nonsense.

In fact, I *want* my bills all to be the same size. If I want to fold
them, 
I do but having many-sized bills would be a colossal nuisance. Not to 
mention that money talks and the vending machine industry carries far
more 
weight than do we, the blind. Ask some of our blind merchants and you'll

find near-universal opposition to the ACB lawsuit and the present
ruling.

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Graves, Diane" <dgraves at crc.in.gov>
To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 5:03 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] FW: FNC Alert

Good Morning To All,

My viewpoint is pretty much in line with yours Sherri.  I mean, PLEASE
do not get me wrong.  We have MANY much more important issues in need of
attention from our legislators and legal system than this one.

I too have a method of folding my money, and it generally has proven to
be quite effective.  For many years I didn't even fold it.  What I would
do is keep the larger bills on the outside of the role or stack of bills
and the smaller ones in the middle, and then just remember what I had.
But alas, I am growing older, and my memory is growing weaker.  So
several years ago I began to fold the bills for identification purposes.

But, it is a fact that, in order to get our money folded in the first
place we do have to depend on the honesty/accuracy of a merchant, a bank
teller, a family member and so on.  That is, if we don't' have that $400
identifier.  Most of the time this method of initial identification
works fine, but I have been known to be on the other side of that coin.
It doesn't happen regularly or often, but it has happened.

Like Sherri, I don't spend a great deal of time fretting about this
issue, but the rest of the world is going to a completely tactilely
identifiable monitory system, and I don't see why we need to be
different just to prove that there are alternative techniques.

After all, progress is progress.  I mean, prior to the days of
wide-spread computer use, and scanners and Kurzweil and the whole bit,
blind people hired and used readers and sometimes had to call on others
to proof read there typed work and so on.  This worked out fine for them
then.  It was an alternative technique and it worked well.  But would
you rather have stayed back there?  Aren't you thankful, glad and
elated, that you can now take care of your bills, mail and other
business totally independently for the most part?

I know I am.  The alternative techniques worked fine for their time, but
I for one, am grateful to be increasingly more independent of sighted
assistance.

And now we even have the Kurzweil/NFB handheld reader which will
increase that independence even more as it can be carried with us.  I
can't wait to get my hands on one of those.  I am folding my money and
putting it away (when I can) in anticipation of that grand purchase.

I do understand that it seems absurd to spend time on the little things
when there are so many major problems, but don't knock progress guys!
Every little piece of independence we achieve is precious.  At least it
is to me.

Diane Graves
Civil Rights Specialist
Indiana Civil Rights Commission
Alternative Dispute Resolutions Unit
317-232-2647

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."--Winston
Churchill

Confidentiality Notice: This E-mail transmission may contain
confidential and/or legally privileged information intended only for the
individual or entity(ies) named in the E-mail address. If you are not
the intended recipient, be advised that any unauthorized disclosure,
copying, distribution, or acting in reliance upon the contents of this
E-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this E-mail
transmission in error, please reply to sender to arrange for the return
and proper delivery of the transmission. Subsequently, delete the
message from your system immediately.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Sherri
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 2:26 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] FW: FNC Alert

This is probably an unpopular viewpoint and though I manage pretty well
without it and am much more concerned about obtaining more money than I
am about having some tactile way to tell bills apart other than folding,
I guess I don't understand why we don't just catch up with the rest of
the

world and make our money identifiable? If we have to change it anyway
because of counterfeit bills, why not just make the other changes too?
However, I don't stay up nights thinking about this issue. Really, it
isn't that important in the scheme of things. (smile)

Sherri

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