It's Our Money Too! |
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Questions
About Accessible Paper Money...
1. What are you trying to achieve through this effort?
2. Isn't unemployment a bigger, more pressing problem for people who are blind than inaccessible money?
3. How do blind people use money now if it is so inaccessible?
4. Are there any devices that can identify money and notify a blind person of its value?
5. Why change money that's always been the same?
6. If the size of bills were changed, what about all the existing ATM machines?
About OurMoneyToo.org...
7. Who is OurMoneyToo.org?
8. Are you angry with the government for refusing to produce money that can be identified by all Americans?
Answers
About Accessible Paper Money...
1. What are you trying to achieve through this effort?
We are hoping to convince the federal government of the value to society as a whole and to blind people in particular of paper currency that is truly distinguishable by touch.
2. Isn't unemployment a bigger, more pressing problem for people who are blind than inaccessible money?
Keep in mind that some jobs require people to accept cash on a regular basis. Being able to tell bills apart without assistance would make it much easier for a blind person to perform these jobs.
3. How do blind people use money now if it is so inaccessible?
Blind people use several techniques for organizing money once they receive it. One common method is to fold each denomination in a different way. For example, ones might not be folded at all, while fives are folded in half widthwise, tens folded once in half lengthwise, twenties folded twice, etc. There are also wallets with separate compartments for each type of bill and devices for marking currency with raised dots. While these systems help blind people to handle money more easily, the fact that there is no way to tell the bills apart when receiving change means that no matter how organized they are, blind people still have to rely on a sighted person or a machine to identify each bill for them before they can file it away using the system of their choice.
4. Are there any devices that can identify money and notify a blind person of its value?
There are electronic bill readers that can scan U.S. bills and announce their denomination out loud. However, unless the bill is entered exactly correctly, with the number facing up, the bill readers are unable to read the currency. It is like putting a dollar bill into a vending machine without looking at it; there are four possible ways to put it in, but the machine will only accept one of them. In addition, if the bill is at all wrinkled or bent the machine will be unable to determine its value. The machines cost approximately $250 and are too bulky (roughly 6 by 3 by 2 inches) to carry around wherever money might be exchanged. It's unfair to require our blind citizens to use this expensive and cumbersome technology to gain full access to their money. Redesigning the currency would benefit people who do not own such equipment, including sighted people using cash in low light.
5. Why change money that's always been the same?
US currency has changed before, and will continue to. The twenty and fifty dollar bills were recently changed to prevent counterfeiting, and the Treasury Department has announced that major changes to the appearance of our paper money will be made every seven or eight years from now on. Making money identifiable by size or tactile markings as part of the next scheduled redesign process would make it easier and safer for anyone to use.
6. If the size of bills were changed, what about all the existing ATM machines?
US-made ATM machines are used in countries that have differently sized money with no problem (see chapter 4 of the National Academy of Sciences report). Since bill width is more important than bill length to money sorting machines like ATM's, varying the denominations by length only might make it possible to continue using current machines with the new bills.
About OurMoneyToo.org...
7. Who is OurMoneyToo.org?
We are an unaffiliated group of blind and visually impaired students, adults, and others concerned with the civil rights of blind citizens.
8. Are you angry with the government for refusing to produce money that can be identified by all Americans?
We are not motivated by anger. We understand that all change begins with education. It is our belief that the more people we can educate about the hardships and inequities faced by blind people as a result of United States Currency being unreadable to blind people that the American people will agree that our paper currency should be changed.