Court Holds US Currency “Unfair” to the Blind

US District Judge James Robertson has ruled that the US Treasury has been unfair to the blind by issuing various denominations of currency that can only be distinguished by sight. This goes against US government arguments that it would be expensive to make dollar bills recognizable by those who can’t see, that it would reduce anti-counterfeiting measures, and that it would undermine international acceptance of the dollar. This is a case that should never have even made it into court. The Treasury has just been insensitive and stupid.

Judge Robertson wrote, “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.” He added, “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.” Being unique when it comes to being impractical is not a virtue.

In most countries, the bigger the coin or note, the greater the value of that coin or note. In some countries, the currency is an explosion of color as well. While there is no rule as to whether red is worth more than blue, it is easy to learn the rules and then tell them apart ever after. For the partially sighted this helps. Even for sighted people, US currency is a pain. This is especially true since the great redesigning of American money that started a few years back. There are a couple different versions of most bills floating around – all the same size, and with minor exceptions, all the same color.

For those who truly can't see, the situation is even worse. Anyone who saw “Ray” with Jamie Foxx will recall that Ray Charles insisted on being paid in one-dollar bills. Otherwise, he’d never know if he’d been cheated. It is hard to imagine a more fundamental economic disadvantage than not being able to know how much money one had.

Most of the solutions would improve things for everyone. Braille printing on notes would actually make it harder to counterfeit US currency, one more thing a counterfeiter has to get right. The same is true of raised printing. Indeed, the entire redesigning of US money (which frankly has turned the dollar into just another note) could have incorporated this from the beginning. The next time someone complains about useless lawsuits, this is a fine example of a case being tried when common sense would have prevented it and provided for the common good.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

Home