Advocates for the blind are suing Uncle Sam to get greenbacks redesigned so the blind can tell what kind of bills they’re handling.
The lawsuit, filed in Washington yesterday, wants the Treasury to start making currency in different sizes or include some kind of device on bills that can be identified by touch.
Many visually impaired people want the change – but say they don’t usually worry about being cheated.
“Most merchants are honest when making change – it’s an issue of feeling independent and not having to ask for help so much,” said Jeffrey Lovitky, a Washington lawyer who sued on behalf of the American Council of the Blind.
“We’re not trying to get the Treasury Department to take all the currency out of circulation. We just want a seat at the table when the next design comes up.”
That could come sooner than most expect. Counterfeiters have been so busy cranking out bogus bills that the Secret Service and the Treasury may start redesigning our currency every three years.
“To stay ahead of the counterfeiters, we understand the Treasury will have to keep doing frequent redesigns,” Lovitky said. “It’s going to be more necessary than ever.”
The Bureau of Engraving and the Treasury didn’t return calls for comment.
The last major change in our currency came in 1999, when all notes except the one-dollar bill were given oversized engravings and larger numerals.
Visually impaired people currently use an informal system of folding to distinguish their bills.
“A $20 bill, for example, will be folded into thirds, and a $5 will be folded into quarters, and so forth,” the lawyer said.
Lovitky said the most efficient way to make money easier to identify is to make face values in different sizes, with the most common face value, such as a $5 bill, the smallest size.
Lovitky said the United States is the only major country whose entire range of currency is of identical size. European, Asian and Latin American bills are varying sizes, depending on their face values.