US currency declared inaccessible.
While we wait for a trial and verdict on whether or not Target is justified in refusing to accept blind people as customers, a different judge on the other side of the country has decided that US currency violates the law due to the fact that it’s inaccessible to blind people.
I’ve always wondered why US currency wasn’t more intelligent (or prettier, for that matter). Other parts of the modern planet have long ago figured out this problem. Take the Euro, for instance:
Not only are the bills differently sized (from small to large) but also printed on completely different colors. not only is it easier for a blind person to figure out what they’re handing the cashier, it’s easier for everyone like me that tends to carry their cash in a crumpled wad in the pocket. $50? Ok, let me just grab this orange piece of paper here…
Other countries have included even more ways to further identify the money. Canada uses tactile markings, for instance, as well as a larger array of dollar and 2-dollar coins.
Apparently, this is not a new issue. Several web sites exist pushing for more accessible money:
It’s tough being blind in the country and actually wanting to be a consumer.
4 Comments
Thank you so much for posting about this. I heard the story on MPR yesterday and had the thought “I need to blog about that…” and quickly forgot what I wanted to blog about.
It’s amazing what we don’t think about when it comes to accessibility. And by “we” I mean the majority of people who have no issues discerning A from B. And unfortunately, “we” are the people making most of the decisions.
I fully support making money user-friendly – and that includes the alt tags – even if it’s not on the web. Interpret “alt tags” as you may, depending upon your circumstance.
And as a further rant, why is the United States yet again behind in the development of good design? The Dutch have been way ahead of everyone as far as design is concerned (I’d even venture to say Design with a capital “D”) – check out the design of the Dutch Guilder before the Euro came into being.
Somebody help me remember here…didn’t the Walker show some speculative U.S. paper money designs by notable artists several years back? Maybe as part of a larger exhibition? I have this memory of seeing a banknote with a picture of Frank Lloyd Wright on it.
damn. Now I want to see this FLW banknote!
Hey ya …
While I really like that you point out the weak side of the dollar bill. Yes, different sizes of the Euro help the blind.
The colors helps you and me and also the partially sighted. These colors have been chosen to have a large contrast between the bills adjacent to each other.
For the blind the currency denominator (how much it’s worth) and other parts are printed as a relief. You should be able to feel it.