Fiat paper currencies are actually unfair for everyone, not just the blind. Fiat paper currencies are worthless as we are seeing with the decline of the dollar.

If they really want to help the blind, and the general population as a whole, then let's get rid of these bogus paper currencies that aren't worth shit and drag down our standard of living.

......why don't the blind just use coins.?.......

They've got Braile on the freakin' drive-thru ATM's, what else do they want? WHAT ELSE!?!

......why don't the blind just use coins.?.......

Posted by skizziks


Any $50 or $20 coins in circulation?

****Any $50 or $20 coins in circulation?
Posted by 726 *****

.......no........but they could carry a lot of quarters and pump up their girly biceps at the same time.......

......hey.....its not they're going to buy a tv or a car......although it could be a bitch when they need a new fridge........

"......why don't the blind just use coins.?......."

YEAH!

Or they could make different collor bills so the blind could tell which bill is which. - Redneckville.

The vending machine industry is mostly to blame here. The easiest and cheapest fix to this very real problem is to have different sized paper money denominations. Smaller bills would have a lower value so people can't trim down bills to cheat blind people.

The vending machine industry opposes anything that would require them to redeploy millions of bill readers.

"The easiest and cheapest fix to this very real problem is to have different sized paper money denominations."


Why not embossment? It would be cheaper, would not require a major change in all automated bill accepters.
It's not just vending machines. You have parking lot machines, atms, self checkout lanes, change machines and many more. I would think a retrofit of all these would be incredibly expensive. The vending machines would have it the easiest, if we left the dollar the same size no change is necessary.

"Most recently the Bureau of Engraving and Printing contracted with a research firm to conduct a comprehensive study to gather additional data, research and analysis for development of methods to help the blind and visually impaired," Zuccarelli said in an e-mail to CNNMoney.com. "The results of this study will be available by early 2009, and the Bureau will take that information under consideration when they transition in new production equipment in both printing facilities in the following years."



Ahhhhhh yes...they are going to study it! Gov at it's best.

My 'Vending Machine' comment was indended to include the other bill readers you mentioned.

Your comment about leaving the one dollar denomination the same size might help, but most vending machine I've seen recently take 5's and 10's too. Have you tried buying anything that costs less than a dollar recently?

"The euro, for example, is one currency designed to be more readily identifiable. Each banknote has a predominant color and large numbers to make them easier to see...."

How hard can it be ?
...seems they are changing the fives every time we turn around.

This "case" was filed in 2002 and the issue has been around much longer. If this inequity was by private business ...the same gov clowns would be coming down with all the weight of gov to enforce the Act.

Court declares life not fair to the disabled. Everything to be redesigned.

Paper Money Unfair to Blind

Yeah, well so are cars but we are not redesigning are main method of transportaion are we?

Here's an idea. USE YOUR FUCKING DEBIT CARD. It has braille already built-in.

The govt can make every business in the country redesign their stores to be handicap accessible, but they can't incorporate techniques to help the blind identify money in all the redesigns they've done since the ADA was passed?

When I lived in the Naval Shipyards in Philadelphia, there was a nearby sandwich shop called "Blindman's". They had the best subs I've ever had. The owner, a blind man ran the cash register. People would give him a bill and tell him what it was. He usually would hold it up, shout out the denomination, and one of the sandwich makers would confirm. He would make change knowing which slot what bills were in in the till.

But for some reason he never did that to me. Of the couple of dozen or so times I ate there he never held up my bill for scrutiny, even if it was a 20. He made change on what I told him it was. Very strange.

OMG!! NOw we'll have to have several different size bills in our wallets, I am so tired of having to make such sacrifices for a bunch of lazy people who choose the blind life style.

USE YOUR FUCKING DEBIT CARD.

And how would a blind person know that the person at the cash register isn't entering in $150 as the price of an item as opposed to $15?

I've heard about blind people who have seeing people sort their cash by denomination, then the blind person folds each bill of a denomination in a certain way so that it readily identifiable. (e.g. fold in quarters for fives and halves for 20's) Seems like a reasonable solution.

Anyway, the underlying point here is: Blind people have been dealing with American currency for a long, long time. Clearly, they can figure out a way to make it work.

Goat,


Philly is a liberal town and thus filled with crooks.


Blind-boy probably sensed you were a Conservative and thus trustworthy.


Nothing strange about this at all.

"Paper Money Unfair to Blind

Yeah, well so are cars but we are not redesigning are main method of transportaion are we?

Here's an idea. USE YOUR FUCKING DEBIT CARD. It has braille already built-in.

Posted by Manypaths at 2008-05-21 05:42 PM"

Come on, Many, that's a poor analogy. I can't conceive of a way to make cars safe for a blind person to operate, but how hard is it to make paper money slightly different sizes or shapes or edges so that a blind person could differentiate between the bills?

"Very strange.

Posted by goatman at 2008-05-21 05:53 PM"

Perhaps the reach-around you were giving him under the counter was an indicia of reliability?

NOw we'll have to have several different size bills in our wallets, I am so tired of having to make such sacrifices for a bunch of lazy people who choose the blind life style.


I don't know why, but I found that comment to be hilarious.


FF for Danni.

Short people should sue cities for building sidewalks too close to their ass.

Reach-around?


Monte, when it's combined with a rim-job it's called 'The Rusty Trombone' - FYI

Thankfully, that is just beyond comprehension for me Jeff.

"Short people should sue cities for building sidewalks too close to their ass.


Posted by fwthom at 2008-05-21 06:01 PM"

You should sue your parents for not flushing you with the rest of the afterbirth.

Thankfully, that is just beyond comprehension for me Jeff.

Posted by mOntecOre


Liar!

;-)

Perhaps the reach-around you were giving him under the counter was an indicia of reliability?

The health department frowns on reach-arounds in food establishments in Philadelphia. I think I read that somewhere.

Discrimination? I just don't see it.

That was pretty bad, Oorah. Pretty bad.

Perhaps the reach-around you were giving him under the counter was an indicia of reliability?

Only a democrat would judge someone's trustworthiness by his willingness to give a handjob.

Call me weird, but if someone was willing to give me a handjob in a public restaurnant, my trust-o-meter much plummet to zero.

That was pretty bad, Oorah. Pretty bad.

Posted by mOntecOre

Yes it was, but you laughed just the same, you homo.

Government lacks the vision to see this through so I've turned a blind eye to the whole thing.

You are just full of it today, Ooo. I'll bet you are finding yourself quite amusing, aren't you?

I love oohrah's puns

But for some reason he never did that to me. Of the couple of dozen or so times I ate there he never held up my bill for scrutiny, even if it was a 20. He made change on what I told him it was. Very strange.

Posted by goatman at 2008-05-21 05:53


Not really so strange at all. When a person loses one of his five senses (sight), the other four senses (hearing, touch, taste, and smell) all become much more enhanced and acute.

There must have been something particular about you that this blindman's other remaining senses (plus years of judging people as a blind person) picked up on. Could have been thru his enhanced sense of hearing -- maybe something in the tone of your voice or your manner of speaking -- which enabled him to detect a certain honesty about you. Just a guess.

"I love oohrah's buns

Posted by goatman at 2008-05-21 06:33 PM"

That's gay.

I imagine that many aspects of life are unfair to the blind.

"I love oohrah's buns"

That's gay. But not as gay as me.

Posted by mOntecOre at 2008-05-21 06:35 PM

Making your own chili powder is gay.

That is so, way, against the rules, Goatman. I'm tellin.

Wow had to read this article. Having Blind inlaws gives me some insight.

Ness you nailed it. Almost every blind person I have met does the identify and fold method. Problem is you are dependant on having a sighted person around all the time.

Sure thats not all that hard but it is a pain to them and to those who love them and care for them. No I never mind taking my in-laws to the mall but when I work 60 hours a week scheduling that time can be tough, so they are stuck. If they could diferentiate money types they could call a cab and go when they wanted to. All kinds of things that are difficult now would be much easier on them.

And how would a blind person know that the person at the cash register isn't entering in $150 as the price of an item as opposed to $15?


I haven't had to hand my debit card to a person for them to scan it in a long long time. Aren't most stores now equipped with the doodad on the counter facing the customer?

Here's an honest question. It's been a while since I was in one of the mall clothing stores, but I don't remember braille being on the price tag. I don't remember braille being on any of the shelves.

How do blind people know what they're wearing or buying with no prices on it?

That is so, way, against the rules, Goatman. I'm tellin.

Lines are open. Operators are standing by.

I see your point, MONTE. Just like Dubya, I have that 'vision thing.'

"I am in the process of developing a scanner that speaks the denomination as it's being pulled from the bill holder. It's the MONEY MINDER. But wait!! If you call now, we'll send 2 Money Minders at no extra charge, Just pay shipping and Handling." Billy Mays

Hell an easy fix. Just take and cut out the numerical digit on what each bill denomination it is. If it's a 1 dollar bill cut out a number 1 on say the upper right hand corner. a 5 the same and so on and so forth. EASY PEASY.

Larry Mohr

If you cut the corners off, it feels the same, Larry.

There are bill readers avalible and they work well however they are not easily portable. To top it off they are not cheap. Trying to live blind in a sighted world is tough and expensive. A screen reader program cost in the ball park of 300 bucks so even a cheap computer will wind up costing a blind person a good bit more than the same thing for a sighted person. Cabs cost more than driving yourself, a scanner is needed to read your mail. Being blind sucks in so many ways that most of us can't even imagine. If something so easy as different sized bills will make a blind person more self sufficient I do not see the problem.

Well, it's unfair to sighted people that blind people can take their guide dogs everywhere when the rest of us can't take our pets where we please.

Okay, I'm not serious. But goddamn it, everyone is "discriminated" against or "handicapped" in some way, if you are looking for it. There is no fucking way in hell we can make enough rules to make life fair for everybody. Sometimes "tough shit" is the best answer to complaints.

MTW -- you are right. I am 6'5". I bang my head on things most people wouldn't. I cannot fit into coach airline seats. Pants are hard to buy. I'll admit that i'd rather have these 'handicaps' than blindness, but you are right: We are all discriminated against one way of the other.

The keyboard at my bank ATM has braille keys. Now I ask myself, how the fuck is some blind man going to read the screen?

Why stop at money? How do the blind know what they are paying for and how much the item costs. I don't recall price tags being designed for the visually impaired either.How do they know how much an item costs in order to want to use the money? How about credit cards? Do the visually impaired not use them or do they trust the cashier to tally the correct total. I see no difference in that scenario than asking the cashier to tender the correct cash during a sale.

The keyboard at my bank ATM has braille keys. Now I ask myself, how the fuck is some blind man going to read the screen?

I've always wondered that. I also wonder how a blind person is going to read the sign that says, "No dogs allowed except for seeing eye dogs"

As far as that goes -- there is a sign near my house pointing to the library. It says, "library" and has a picture of a guy reading a book. If someone depends on pictograms, chances are they don't want to go to the library.

Why stop at money? How do the blind know...

How does a blind person know he's through wiping his ass?

Take toilet tissue wipe and sniff. If He or She smells shit keep on wiping DUH.

Larry Mohr

Take toilet tissue wipe and sniff. If He or She smells shit keep on wiping DUH.

DUH. Well stupid me. Look at what I've missed all these years not sniffing used toilet paper.

What's next? Bilingual currency?

Thinks someone has no common sense. Oh well not My problem.

Larry Mohr

We already have bilingual currency. A Man sees a dollar as a mark of wealth. A Woman sees a dollar as therapy.

Larry Mohr

What's next? Bilingual currency?

We've had it for a long time. English and Latin.

And Larry sees it as a way to pay for a male prostitute.

Sorry food comes first before any sex. My stomach comes first.

Larry Mohr

Sorry food comes first before any sex.

I thought it was a contemporaneous thing with you, Larry.

I saw this story yesterday and I meant to post it here with an insightful comment but I forgot what it was cause ALL you folks have me laughing my ass off at you non PC comments. I'm loving it, thanks guys (and dudettes) I needed that :)

there is a headphone jack in most atm's thats how the braile helps.

Although most blind people do not need the braile they can 10 key with the best of them.

No kidding....In the drivethrough at my local McDonalds there is, on the driver's side, ancored to the building by a chain, a braille menu.......

So the blind need a little help when dealing with cash. OK, fine. Let's see what we can do that doesn't cost too much or make a big inconvenience for all the sighted people. But being blind isn't all bad. Blind people have never read one of MohRoN's posts accidentally leaving them gagging whilst banging their head on the desk in absolute disbelief.

Thinks someone has no common sense. Oh well not My problem.

Irony Flag!

"I also wonder how a blind person is going to read the sign that says, "No dogs allowed except for seeing eye dogs"

Posted by goatman at 2008-05-21 08:53 PM"

Why would they need to see the sign, dipshit? Deep Thoughts by Goatman Handy.

They should make them smell different from each other. Cherry = $1 bill; Watermelon = $5 bill; etc.... Scratch n' Sniff money is long overdue.

"It's all about the Benjamins" is replaced by "It's all about the Skanky Whore Snatch Odor"....

"The keyboard at my bank ATM has braille keys. Now I ask myself, how the fuck is some blind man going to read the screen?"

He probably would knock it over driving blind anyway...