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Lawsuit Against The Treasury Department
American Council of the Blind, et al. v. Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury Civil Action No. 2002-00864.
In 2002, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) brought a lawsuit against the United States Department of the Treasury; demanding that the Treasury make United States currency accessible to visually impaired people.
Since the inception of the suit the Treasury has sought on two occasions to have the action thrown out of court: first, the government filed a motion for summary judgement, and second, they asked that the case be dismissed because they alleged that ACB failed to state a claim under which relief could be granted. The judge ruled against the government in both instances.
On May 4, 2006, oral arguments were presented in court in Washington, DC.
He issued a memorandum order stating that the government's failure to design U.S. currency in a way that allows blind and visually impaired people to distinguish the bills independently is a violation of § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in federal government programs.
Robertson pointed out in his opinion that of the more than 180 countries around the world that issue paper currency, the United States is the only one for which all denominations are the same size and color and contain no tactile markings to enable blind people to tell them apart. Citing the progress that has been made in providing accommodations such as wheelchair ramps that allow people with mobility impairments to function self-sufficiently, Robertson stated that it "can no longer be successfully argued that a blind person has 'meaningful access' to currency if she cannot accurately identify paper money without assistance."
The opinion does not specify what design features the government must use to make money distinguishable by blind people, but it makes it clear that maintaining the status quo would be a violation of the law.
The Treasury Department has ten days to appeal the ruling.