Blind bill folding

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In the United States, some blind or otherwise visually-impaired people fold dollar bills in specific ways so that they can identify the denominations of the bills by feel. [1] Though some people have their own idiosyncratic systems, there is a method recommended by the American Foundation for the Blind:

Unlike the banknotes of most countries, all denominations of United States paper money are the same size, preventing the visually impaired from identifying bills by feel. This alleged lack of access for the blind led to a 2002 court case, American Council of the Blind v. Paulson . In 2006, U.S. District Judge James Robertson ruled that the American bills gave an undue burden to the blind and denied them "meaningful access" to the U.S. currency system. [4] Robertson accepted the plaintiff's argument that current practice violates Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. [5] [6] [7] [8] As a result of the court's injunction, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is planning to implement a raised tactile feature in the next redesign of each note, except the $1 (which it is by law not allowed to redesign). [9]

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Federal Reserve Notes, also United States banknotes, are the currently issued banknotes of the United States dollar. The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces the notes under the authority of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and issues them to the Federal Reserve Banks at the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The Reserve Banks then circulate the notes to their member banks, at which point they become liabilities of the Reserve Banks and obligations of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States five-dollar bill</span> Current denomination of United States currency

The United States five-dollar bill ($5) is a denomination of United States currency. The current $5 bill features a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president (1861-1865), on the front and the Lincoln Memorial on the back. All $5 bills issued today are Federal Reserve Notes.

Large denominations of United States currency greater than $100 were circulated by the United States Treasury until 1969. Since then, U.S. dollar banknotes have been issued in seven denominations: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States one-dollar bill</span> Current denomination of United States paper equivalent of currency

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian currency tactile feature</span> Feature on the Canadian Journey and Frontier series of Canadian banknotes

The Canadian currency tactile feature is a feature on the Canadian Journey and Frontier series of Canadian banknotes to aid people who are visually impaired to identify the notes. The feature indicates the banknote denomination in the upper left corner of the face side of the bill using a series of raised dots. It was suggested by Bruno Thériault, an administrator for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and designed by Susan Lederman, a professor of psychology at Queen's University.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Journey</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine one thousand-peso note</span> Currency denomination

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References

  1. Würdemann, Henry Vanderbilt; Black, Nelson Miles (1913). "Ophthalmology: Essays, Abstracts and Reviews". Milwaukee: American Medical Association press: 51.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. "Keeping Track of Money". American Foundation for the Blind. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  3. "How blind people identify paper money". February 18, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  4. "Government appeals currency redesign". USA Today . Associated Press. December 13, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  5. CNNMoney.com (November 29, 2006). "Judge rules paper money unfair to blind" . Retrieved February 17, 2008.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  6. "Court Says Next Gen Currency Must Be Accessible to the Blind". Archived from the original on November 28, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  7. "disablednyc.com". www.disablednyc.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  8. "Progress Update: United States Accessible Currency Project for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons". VisionAware. January 12, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  9. "Administrative Provisions : Department of the Treasury". Office of Management and Budget . Retrieved January 2, 2012 via National Archives.