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This was quoted on a local LTBG list, and I don't know its source, but still, very cool! I'm off to do some research to get a link instead of the full text.

Judge Orders Treasury Department to Make Paper Money Recognizable to Blind People
Tuesday , November 28, 2006

WASHINGTON 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.

More here.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

karenthecroccy.livejournal.com

That's excellent! :)

From:

the-ogre.livejournal.com

That totally rocks. Let's hope the Treasury Dept. doesn't appeal.

From:

stonebender.livejournal.com

Very cool! The article says they're doing it in order to comply with the Rehabilitation Act which was passed in 1973 (although regulations weren't written until much later). Seems like it's about time!

From:

nooks.livejournal.com

More research is indicated, since all US currency is not the same size, contrary to what seems to be implied in the lead of the article. Still, that's probably the fault of a bozo journalist too lazy to open their wallet and compare $1 and $5 bills. (Yes, the difference in size is negligible, but there are devices to wrap a bill around to exaggerate the difference. And yes, that still sucks. I know.)

In any event, I do know that plenty of people who're affected daily by this have been lobbying for changes for years, so this might be a step in the right direction, but I'm not about to hold my breath waiting for the US to be dragged into the 21st century when it comes to its currency.

(Here's a hint: the new 20s, fives, and tens have "advanced" anti-counterfeiting features like that little strip of metal which you can see when you hold the bill to the light, which were available in the previous generation of Australian bills during my childhood, and replaced in the early and mid-1990s there. I wouldn't trust the Treasury and Mint to design a dog kennel.)

From:

stitchinthyme.livejournal.com

Pretty cool, and about time.

Heck, all they'd need to do is make them different sizes -- then they wouldn't have to worry about raised dots or counterfeit protection or whatever else they're bitching about as being so expensive. Problem solved.

This subject reminds me of a scene in the movie Ray where Ray Charles insists on being paid in singles because that way he knows for a fact that he won't be ripped off. As much as it'd be nice to think no one would take advantage of a blind person, we all know there are any number of people who wouldn't hesitate.

From:

rmjwell.livejournal.com

The engineer in me hopes they simply add a die cut unique to each denomination into the top and bottom of the long sides. It would be the simplest to implement and would not require the re-design of machines that currently accept bills (like the Caltrain ticket machines, for example).

From:

rmjwell.livejournal.com

I disagree about making them different sizes (see my comment below).

From:

stitchinthyme.livejournal.com

They did say that the $1 bill design would not change, and don't most machines just accept singles? Okay, probably train fare ones would also take higher denominations. How do they deal with it in places like the UK, where bills are all different sizes?

From:

rmjwell.livejournal.com

Many machines accept denominations up to $20.

As to the UK solution, good question. If the answer was to reprogram the machines, that is less onerous than having to replace them, but it still increases the overhead somewhat. The die-cut avoids any reprogramming issues (although new machines can be set up to scan for the scallop along with whatever current scan technology they use).