Dear Rajesh and others: This is a good item for me, because I am in the process of literature survey and data collection for my Ph. D. These sort of information (of course with their sources) will be of much help to me. Can you all help me collect these kinds of information, where the right of visually challenged as consumers are reiterated?
Subramani -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of rajesh asudani Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 12:35 AM To: accessindia Subject: [AI] Fw: Access to Paper Currency for the Blind ----- Original Message ----- From: "Justice For All Moderator" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 11:07 AM Subject: Access to Paper Currency for the Blind > Access to Paper Currency for the Blind > > As some of you may know, in 2002 the American Council of the Blind > filed suit against the Department of the Treasury (Civil Action > No. 02-0864 (JR)) alleging that the Department of Treasury > violates section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. ' 794, > by its repeated and continuing failures to design and issue paper > currency that is readily distinguishable to blind and visually > impaired people. > > Today, U.S. District Judge James Robertson ruled 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." Below are a few of the highlights. > > Background - > > Most people with low vision, and all blind people, are incapable > of looking at American currency and distinguishing one > denomination from another. In order to know whether the bill in > her hand is worth five dollars or fifty, a blind person must ask > someone else for help or use a machine that can identify the > denomination and speak it out loud. > > Of the more than 180 countries that issue paper currency, only the > United States prints bills that are identical in size and color in > all their denominations. The Euro varies in size based on > denomination: the greater the value of the note, the greater the > length. The Swiss Franc contains intaglio digits and a perforated > numeral that can be identified by touch. In Japan, in a new design > for the Yen, has incorporated a tactile feature in the %10,000, > %5,000 and %1,000 notes, different for each note, that has a > rougher texture than the rest of the bill. The Canadian Dollar > also contains tactile features according to denomination. > Australia's dollars differ in color and size. English Pound notes > vary in color and size and contain tactile symbols. Chinese > currency differs in color and possesses a tactile symbol, as does > the currency in Argentina and Israel. Saudi Arabia's currency > varies in color and size. > > Even Congress has expressed interest in changing U.S. currency to > accommodate the visually impaired. In 1997, the House of > Representatives "strongly encourage[d] the Secretary of the > Treasury and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to incorporate > cost-effective, tactile features into the design changes, thereby > including the blind and visually impaired community in independent > currency usage," to no avail. > >>From Judge Robertson's Memorandum (November 28, 2006) - > > There was a time when disabled people had no choice but to ask for > help to rely on the "kindness of strangers." It was thought to > be their lot. Blind people had to ask strangers to push elevator > buttons for them. People in wheelchairs needed Boy Scouts to help > them over curbs and up stairs. We have evolved, however, and > Congress has made our evolution official, by enacting the > Rehabilitation Act, whose stated purpose is "to empower > individuals with disabilities to maximize employment, economic > self-sufficiency, independence, and inclusion and integration into > society." 29 U.S.C. ' 701(b)(emphasis added). 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. > > In response to the government's suggestion that any changes to the > currency would "significantly complicate any effort to add a > tactile feature to U.S. currency," Judge Robertson wrote: "This > suggestion is unsupported argument, and it is utterly > unpersuasive. The government offers no reason to think that the > addition of a tactile feature would render U.S. currency more > vulnerable to counterfeiting, and indeed the use of foil and > raised print on the Euro is considered a security feature, as is > the micro-perforated number on a Swiss banknote." > > And in response to the argument that any "drastic or sudden" > changes to the currency could undermine international recognition > and acceptance of U.S. currency "as a common medium of exchange > throughout the world," he stated that the contention was not only > "unsupported, but, on its face, is fairly absurd." > > This is a wonderful victory not just for ACB, but for all blind > and visually impaired people. > > The order is available in an accessible pdf format at: > http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/opinions/2006/Robertson/ > 2002-CV-0864~12:56:1~11-28-2006-a.pdf > > Day Al-Mohamed > Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs > American Council of the Blind > 1155 15th St. NW > Washington DC 20005 > Tel. 202-467-5081 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ______________________________________________________________ > > For more court decision news, see: > http://www.aapd.com/News/courtdecisions/indexcourt.php > > # # # > > DISCLAIMER: The JFA Listserv is designed to share information > of interest to people with disabilities and promote dialogue > in the disability community. Information circulated does not > necessarily express the views of AAPD. The JFA Listserv is > non-partisan. > > JFA ARCHIVES: All JFA postings from 1995 to present are > available at: http://www.jfanow.org/jfanow/ > > MODERATOR, Gwen Gillenwater, JUSTICE FOR ALL -- A Service of > the American Association of People with Disabilities. To > contact Gwen, please email her at [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > JOIN AAPD! There's strength in numbers! Be a part of a national > coalition of people with disabilities and join AAPD today at > http://www.aapd.com. > > Justice-For-All FREE Subscriptions > To subscribe or unsubscribe, > send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with subscribe justice OR unsubscribe justice > in the body of your email message. > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. 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