A ruling handed down by a federal appeals court in
Washington D.C. on Tuesday confirmed a lower-court decision that the U.S.
discriminates against blind individuals by printing money with values that are
indistinguishable. The decision could force
the Treasury Department to redesign its money, likely using different sizes or
raised markings to make it more accessible.
The government agreed that its currency was difficult to
decipher for those with visual impairments, but argued that adaptations such as
using credit cards, asking for help from clerks, and folding bills alleviated
the burden to blind individuals to the extent that the currency wasn't
discriminatory.
According to an AP article, the court stated that such a
position was equivalent to arguing that there's no need to make buildings
wheelchair accessible since individuals with disabilities could easily crawl up
steps or ask to be carried by strangers. The court also pointed out that the
Treasury has redesigned its currency multiple times recently and that adding
features to aid the blind would be relatively cheap.
Lastly, the court noted that many other nations have added
features to the blind. In the initial
decision made at the district level, U.S. District Judge James Robertson stated
that" of the more than 180 countries that issue paper currency, only the United
States prints bills that are identical in size and all their denominations."
On an interesting side note, the National Federation of the
Blind (NFB) decried the January 2007 district-level judgment, calling it "dangerously
misguided." According to the
organization's president, Dr. Marc Maurer, "Blind people transact business with
paper money every day" and don't need "feel-good gimmicks that misinform the
public about our capabilities." The
organization has yet to release a statement about the recent decision.
