Are dollars going to be changing sizes?

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Evidently, there is a possibility. The American Council of the Blind has been fighting with the U.S. government for 6 years about the design of our dollar bills. The Federal Appeals court just ruled that our paper money discriminates against the blind. This very well could force another modification to our bills.

Dollars discriminate against the blind

I had never thought about the challenge it must be for blind people until I read this article. These are a few interesting points I found from it…

“The court ruled 2-1 that such adaptations were insufficient under the Rehabilitation Act. The government might as well argue that there’s no need to make buildings accessible to wheelchairs because handicapped people can crawl on all fours or ask passers-by for help, the court said.”

“Redesigned bills could also mean more job opportunities, since employers often hesitate to hire blind workers for jobs handling money, said Charlson, of the Perkins School for the Blind.”

“Given recent U.S. redesigns, the appeals court ruled the U.S. failed to explain why adding more changes would be an undue burden. More than 100 other countries vary the size of their bills, a federal judge said in 2006, and others include at least some features to help the blind. The appeals court said the U.S. never explained why such solutions wouldn’t work here.”

The whole things makes sense to me. Think about how difficult that would be trying to figure out if the cashier handed you the right amount of change or if you didn’t accidentally give a $20 when you meant to give a $5.

I am glad to see that the court ruled in their favor, but realistically it may take decades to break though all the red tape to actually get these changes accomplished. While they are at it, why not get rid of pennies too?

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Jamie Morell May 26, 2008 at 9:08 am: When I went to Europe for a few months and spent euros instead of dollars for the first the different sizes of the bills struck me as odd at first. After a few days I got used to it and even preferred it. It makes it easier to count and easier to tell at a glance how much money you have, and that’s for people who can see. A blind person would gain quite a bit with this. I’d support this 100%!
bob May 26, 2008 at 9:47 am: @Jamie
You know I had a similar experience over in Europe – the different sizes take a little getting used to – I love how well each dollar fits in my wallet right now, but you do get used to it pretty quick. I have no idea how many blind people there are in the U.S. but I am all for an extremely minor inconvenience on my part to make their lives easier…