Paper money may become more accessible to the visually impaired

Washington, DC-U.S. paper currency could be headed for a redesign following the upholding of a lower court decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The court ruled that the country's money is discriminatory against people who are blind or visually impaired. That decision has been greeted with mixed reactions from organizations serving such people. The redesign could lead to the printing of bills of varying sizes, colors, and raised markings.

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) had sued for such changes, but the government fought the case for about 6 years. A federal appeals court panel ruled 2-1 that the currency should be altered despite the government's contention that people who are blind or visually impaired can rely on store clerks, use credit cards, fold corners of money, or use other methods to distinguish bills.

A redesign could take years, and the government could appeal the decision to the full 13-member appeals court or ask for a review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) expressed disappointment with the ruling.

"We hope that this ruling will not have the unintended consequence of reinforcing society's misconception that blind people are unable to function in the world as it currently is," said NFB President Marc Maurer, JD, in a statement posted on the organization's Web site. "Identifying items by touch (including currency) is convenient but not essential to blind people being able to participate fully in society."

Maurer said that Braille instruction for children who are blind, training for the unemployed who are blind, and books for people who are blind are needed more than a change in currency design.