U.S. court: Dollars discriminate against blind

[HHSDad]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. discriminates against blind people by printing paper money that makes it impossible for them to distinguish among the bills' varying values, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

 

The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upholds a decision by a lower court in 2006. It could force the Treasury Department to redesign its money. Suggested changes have ranged from making bills different sizes to printing them with raised markings.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24725916/

[Birdsfan]

Saw this earlier today, and can't decide which way to stand on it. Both sides have valid arguments.

[Hasbeen]

We've gone to extreme efforts to reduce counterfitting with our currency, yet modern computer scanners are getting better and better at making bills that pass the look test. Our credit cards are increasingly becoming the target of theives and con artists. Now, it seems that currency is unfair to the visually impaired. Can we be far away from completly doing away with money and operating via a scanner and bar code tattooed into our forehead and back of our hand?

 

(HHSdad, I hope I didn't just cause your thread to be moved into P&R.):sssh:

[Birdsfan]

Can we be far away from completly doing away with money and operating via a scanner and bar code tattooed into our forehead and back of our hand?

I think the natural progression of technology is taking us toward a paperless society and economy anyway.

[Hasbeen]

I think the natural progression of technology is taking us toward a paperless society and economy anyway.

 

Really, when you look at the reasons I posted above and consider the amount of germs spread on folding money, the ease it can be stolen, lost, burned, duplicated, or disfigured, and the cost of production, it makes sense to move to paperless. However, religious nut that I am, I'll be bartering chickens before I take a permenant mark or an implanted chip upon myself.

[HHSDad]

Pepper, you just made me think of something. If we could produce a cheap handheld device that could "read" the denomination of the currency, would it solve this problem?

[Birdsfan]

However, religious nut that I am, I'll be bartering chickens before I take a permenant mark or an implanted chip upon myself.

I don't think anything like that would be necessary for a paperless economy.

[Hasbeen]

Pepper, you just made me think of something. If we could produce a cheap handheld device that could "read" the denomination of the currency, would it solve this problem?

 

 

And distribute them to the seeing impaired population? I wouldn't think it would be difficult at all. It would use the same technology that the Pepsi machine on the corner uses.

[Hasbeen]

I don't think anything like that would be necessary for a paperless economy.

 

Good! How do you see it operating?

[stickymitts]

Why am I envisioning us using more time, effort and money on a scanner for blind people, than an actual device that would help blind people see.

 

 

***By 'us' I mean mankind...

[HHSDad]

Why am I envisioning us using more time, effort and money on a scanner for blind people, than an actual device that would help blind people see.

 

 

***By 'us' I mean mankind...

Are you talking about the Geordi LaForge VISOR? Helping the blind to see is years off although some progress is being made with implants behind the retinas in blind rats (wasn't there a song about them?)

 

Look at it this way. Let's say you're unable to walk and need a way to get around. Would you want to be told "We don't have time to invent the wheelchair because we're hoping to make you walk in 10 years."

[Ram]

Pepper, you just made me think of something. If we could produce a cheap handheld device that could "read" the denomination of the currency, would it solve this problem?

We (meaning it is available) have refrigerators that can tell you that you are out of milk, and trash cans that make a shopping list of you. Why can't we have a wallet that verbally tells you what quantity of bill you just removed from you wallet?

[Birdsfan]

Good! How do you see it operating?

Like it already is, I guess -- by credit card.

[Birdsfan]

Pepper, you just made me think of something. If we could produce a cheap handheld device that could "read" the denomination of the currency, would it solve this problem?

I think that would be a great solution. :thumb:

[HHSDad]

We (meaning it is available) have refrigerators that can tell you that you are out of milk, and trash cans that make a shopping list of you. Why can't we have a wallet that verbally tells you what quantity of bill you just removed from you wallet?

Or more importantly the denomination of the currency you just received. Most blind people learn to "mark" their currency so they can tell what denomination it is. The real problem is when others hand them money.