Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people, will testify before the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology of the House Committee on Financial Services, regarding the issue of paper currency identifiable by the blind.
On May 20, 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a ruling that could force a redesign of U.S. paper currency so that blind people can distinguish denominations by touch.
Dr. Marc Maurer said: “I appreciate the opportunity to share the considered opinion of the National Federation of the Blind regarding paper currency. We represent the largest group of blind people in the United States, and each year we gather to consider important matters affecting the blind. We strongly disagree with the federal court ruling because the premise of the ruling is that the blind of America are being unlawfully made victims of discrimination because we lack “meaningful access” to paper money, which is patently untrue. Hundreds of thousands of blind people use paper money every day without difficulty. Identifying items by touch (including currency) is convenient, but not essential to the ability of blind people to participate fully in society. For a court to say that if we cannot identify it by touch, we can’t use it is a fiction and a dangerous one. Millions of items that cannot be identified by touch must be managed by the blind in business, industry, and education every day; if the public comes to believe the myth that we cannot manage those items, then we will be denied the equality and opportunity we seek. If the paper money of the United States is to be changed, then the National Federation of the Blind must be consulted about what changes are to be made.”
About the National Federation of the Blind
With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation’s blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
National Federation of the Blind