[nfb-talk] Fw: [acb-l] Associated Press Reports ACB'sVictoryRequiring Accessable Currency

Thu Nov 30 07:54:49 CST 2006

I agree.  It isn't that hard, and I can't remember a time when someone has 
ripped me off.  I have gotten my own money mixed up, from time to time. 
But, then I just put it aside until I can ask someone I trust to tell me 
what I have.

Just think of the cost, no only to change the entire paper money system, but 
also to modify existing machines which accept paper money.  Is it really 
worth the extremely small inconvenience?  I don't think so.

Cindy
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Constance Canode" <satin-bear at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 10:43 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Fw: [acb-l] Associated Press Reports 
ACB'sVictoryRequiring Accessable Currency

When I go to the bank or when I am shopping, it is very simple to
tell the clerk to give you the 20s first, tens, etc.  I can honestly
say that it only takes a couple of seconds and I have never been
ripped off.  Leave it to the ACB to make a big deal out of
this.  There are so many other issues in life that are of much
greater importance than the size of bills.

Connie Canode
At 11:26 AM 11/29/2006, you wrote:
>Hey folks,
>
>So we fold our money and can identify it that way.  Very true.
>
>But a sighted person is generally needed to identify the denominations
>in the first place.
>
>I'm going to air on the side of logic here.  Yeah, we should make them
>different sizes.  Forget different colors because that leaves many of us
>out.  Forget coins for obvious reasons.  The gold standard ain't comin'
>back.  Let's just make the denominations different sizes.  Makes sense
>to be able to identify it from the time you take possession of it, on
>your own.  No?
>
>Federationist I am and damn proud of that.  But not doing anything makes
>very little sense.
>
>Harmeet
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>On Behalf Of ANTONIO GUIMARAES
>Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 8:47 PM
>To: NFB Talk Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Fw: [acb-l] Associated Press Reports
>ACB'sVictoryRequiring Accessable Currency
>
>Braille on dollar bills would make bills too bulky, and awkward for
>banks to
>store, and transport.
>
>Solely relying on coins would be expensive, and banks would oppose it
>for
>the same reason mention above.
>
>The article states
>
>"Of the more than 180 countries that issue paper currency, only the
>United
>States prints bills that are identical in size and color in all their
>denominations,"
>Robertson wrote."
>
>  Is this a fact? Is the United States oh so backward? Besides, if money
>is
>to be made accessible to the blind, do we want it to be a visual
>feature, or
>will it be a clear tactile distinction.
>
>What can we do to make money accessible to the blind? More jobs, and
>less
>fuss about the rehabilitation act sounds like sound policy to me.
>
>In adition to my comments, I am including what seems to be the full,
>unedited, uncut version of the article, witch I received on another
>list,
>not an ACB list.
>
>It might be valuable to read the edited out part first, I think, so here
>it
>is:
>
>The other side, left out of the ACB/generated e-mail
>
>Others have developed ways to cope with the similarly shaped bills.
>Melanie Brunson, a member of the American Council of the Blind, told the
>court that
>she folds her bills into different shapes: $1 bills stay straight, $5
>bills are folded in half left to right, $10 bills in half top to bottom
>and $20 in
>quarters.
>
>The Treasury Department had no comment on the ruling Tuesday. The
>government has 10 days to decide whether to appeal.
>
>U.S. bills have not always been the same size. In 1929, the government
>standardized the size and shrank all bills by about 30 percent to lower
>manufacturing
>costs and help distinguish between genuine and counterfeit notes.
>
>Since then, the Treasury Department has worked to stay ahead of
>counterfeiters. Security threads and microprinting were introduced in
>1990. The portraits
>were enlarged in 1996, and an infrared feature was added to encourage
>the
>development of electronic readers for the blind.
>
>The latest redesign is under way. New $10 bills, featuring splashes of
>orange, yellow and red, hit the market this year, following similar
>changes to the
>$20 bill in 2003 and the $50 bill in 2004. The $5 facelift is due in
>2008.
>
>In court documents, government attorneys said changing the way money
>feels
>would be expensive. Cost estimates ranged from $75 million in equipment
>upgrades
>and $9 million annual expenses for punching holes in bills to $178
>million
>in one-time charges and $50 million annual expenses for printing bills
>of
>varying
>sizes.
>
>Any change to the dollar's design could ripple into the vending machine
>industry, which participated in discussions regarding previous
>redesigns.
>The American
>Council of the Blind is not seeking changes to the $1 bill, according to
>court documents.
>
>The Treasury Department spent $4.2 billion on printing over the past
>decade, Robertson said. Adding a raised number to the bills would have
>increased costs
>less than 5 percent over that period, he said.
>
>"If additional savings could be gained by incorporating the new feature
>into a larger redesign, such as those that took place in 1996 or 2004,
>the
>total
>burden of adding such a feature would be even smaller," Robertson wrote.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Now, the full article
>Judge: make bills recognizable to blind
>MATT APUZZO
>Associated Press
>
>WASHINGTON - The government discriminates against blind people by
>printing
>money that all looks and feels the same, a federal judge said Tuesday in
>a
>ruling
>that could change the face of American currency.
>
>U.S. District Judge James Robertson ordered the Treasury Department to
>come up with ways for the blind to tell bills apart. He said he wouldn't
>tell officials
>how to fix the problem, but he ordered them to begin working on it.
>
>The American Council of the Blind has proposed several options,
>including
>printing bills of differing sizes, adding embossed dots or foil to the
>paper or
>using raised ink.
>
>"Of the more than 180 countries that issue paper currency, only the
>United
>States prints bills that are identical in size and color in all their
>denominations,"
>Robertson wrote. "More than 100 of the other issuers vary their bills in
>size according to denomination, and every other issuer includes at least
>some
>features that help the visually impaired."
>
>Government attorneys argued that forcing the Treasury Department to
>change
>the size of the bills or add texture would make it harder to prevent
>counterfeiting.
>Robertson was not swayed.
>
>"The fact that each of these features is currently used in other
>currencies suggests that, at least on the face of things, such
>accommodations are reasonable,"
>he wrote.
>
>He said the government was violating the Rehabilitation Act, which
>prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in government
>programs. The opinion
>came after a four-year legal fight.
>
>Electronic devices are available to help blind people differentiate
>between bills, but many complain that they are slow, expensive and
>unreliable. Visually
>impaired shoppers frequently rely on store clerks to help them.
>
>"It's just frankly unfair that blind people should have to rely on the
>good faith of people they have never met in knowing whether they've been
>given the
>correct change," said Jeffrey A. Lovitky, attorney for the plaintiffs in
>the lawsuit.
>
>Others have developed ways to cope with the similarly shaped bills.
>Melanie Brunson, a member of the American Council of the Blind, told the
>court that
>she folds her bills into different shapes: $1 bills stay straight, $5
>bills are folded in half left to right, $10 bills in half top to bottom
>and $20 in
>quarters.
>
>The Treasury Department had no comment on the ruling Tuesday. The
>government has 10 days to decide whether to appeal.
>
>U.S. bills have not always been the same size. In 1929, the government
>standardized the size and shrank all bills by about 30 percent to lower
>manufacturing
>costs and help distinguish between genuine and counterfeit notes.
>
>Since then, the Treasury Department has worked to stay ahead of
>counterfeiters. Security threads and microprinting were introduced in
>1990. The portraits
>were enlarged in 1996, and an infrared feature was added to encourage
>the
>development of electronic readers for the blind.
>
>The latest redesign is under way. New $10 bills, featuring splashes of
>orange, yellow and red, hit the market this year, following similar
>changes to the
>$20 bill in 2003 and the $50 bill in 2004. The $5 facelift is due in
>2008.
>
>In court documents, government attorneys said changing the way money
>feels
>would be expensive. Cost estimates ranged from $75 million in equipment
>upgrades
>and $9 million annual expenses for punching holes in bills to $178
>million
>in one-time charges and $50 million annual expenses for printing bills
>of
>varying
>sizes.
>
>Any change to the dollar's design could ripple into the vending machine
>industry, which participated in discussions regarding previous
>redesigns.
>The American
>Council of the Blind is not seeking changes to the $1 bill, according to
>court documents.
>
>The Treasury Department spent $4.2 billion on printing over the past
>decade, Robertson said. Adding a raised number to the bills would have
>increased costs
>less than 5 percent over that period, he said.
>
>"If additional savings could be gained by incorporating the new feature
>into a larger redesign, such as those that took place in 1996 or 2004,
>the
>total
>burden of adding such a feature would be even smaller," Robertson wrote.
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "dmgina" <dmgina at qwest.net>
>To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 10:56 PM
>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Fw: [acb-l] Associated Press Reports
>ACB'sVictoryRequiring Accessable Currency
>
>
>If they put the Braille on the money then I would be for it.
>But if we go to all coins then that wouldn't help those of us who have
>bad
>shoulders.
>Carrying out all of the money they need.
>Just some thoughts.
>
>
>--Dar
>every saint has a past,
>every sinner has a future
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "James Aldrich" <jkaldrich at qwest.net>
>To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 9:45 PM
>Subject: [nfb-talk] Fw: [acb-l] Associated Press Reports ACB's
>VictoryRequiring Accessable Currency
>
>
>Hello all,
>
>Since this subject has come up, here is the material which brought this
>forth.  ACB has advocated for the printing of braille money or some kind
>of
>identification for our paper currency.  This should be interesting
>indeed as
>to how it will play out.  No doubt somebody might say that federal judge
>is
>too pushy and the whole thing could be thrown out.  This is something to
>be
>watched.
>
>Jim Aldrich
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Tom Mills" <tmills79 at bellsouth.net>
>To: <acb-l at acb.org>
>Cc: <alabama at acb.org>; "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List"
><blindlaw at nfbnet.org>; <4alabama at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 3:28 PM
>Subject: [acb-l] Associated Press Reports ACB's Victory Requiring
>Accessable
>Currency
>
>
>Judge: make bills recognizable to blind
>11/28/2006, 4:49 p.m. ET
>By MATT APUZZO
>The Associated Press
>WASHINGTON (AP) - By keeping all U.S. currency the same size and
>texture,
>the government
>has denied blind people meaningful access to money, a federal judge said
>Tuesday.
>U.S. District Judge James Robertson said the Treasury Department has
>violated the
>law, and he ordered the government to come up with ways for the blind to
>tell bills
>apart.
>He said he wouldn't tell officials how to fix the problem, but he
>ordered
>them to
>begin working on it within 10 days. The American Council of the Blind
>has
>proposed
>several options, including printing bills of differing sizes, adding
>embossed dots
>or foil to the paper or using raised ink.
>"Of the more than 180 countries that issue paper currency, only the
>United
>States
>prints bills that are identical in size and color in all their
>denominations," Robertson
>wrote. "More than 100 of the other issuers vary their bills in size
>according to
>denomination, and every other issuer includes at least some features
>that
>help the
>visually impaired."
>Government attorneys argued that forcing the Treasury Department to
>change
>the size
>of the bills or add texture would make it harder to prevent
>counterfeiting.
>Robertson
>was not swayed.
>"The fact that each of these features is currently used in other
>currencies
>suggests
>that, at least on the face of things, such accommodations are
>reasonable,"
>he wrote.
>He said the government was violating the Rehabilitation Act, which
>prohibits
>discrimination
>on the basis of disability in government programs. The opinion came
>after a
>four-year
>legal fight.
>"It's a landmark decision. I believe it will benefit millions of
>people,"
>said Jeffrey
>A. Lovitky, attorney for plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
>Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
>This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
>redistributed.
>(c) 2006 al.com All Rights Reserved.
>
>
>
>************************************************************
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