Court Ruling Demands Currency Changes

Nov. 30, 2006 — -- The most sweeping design change ever in the look of U.S. currency may be inevitable, experts say, even if the federal government appeals a judge's decision that the government has denied blind people meaningful access to money.

In the culmination of a 4-year-old court case, U.S. District Judge James Robertson ruled Tuesday that the government had violated the law because the vision impaired could not tell the difference of one bill's denomination from another.

He ordered the Treasury Department to come up with a new design for paper money.

"There was a time when disabled people had no choice but to ask for help -- to rely on the 'kindness of strangers,'" Robertson wrote. "We have evolved, however," he added in ruling that the government was violating the Rehabilitation Act that prohibits discrimination against the disabled in government programs.

All but two of the more than 180 countries that issue paper currency -- from the euro to the Chinese yuan -- print bills that have different sizes.

Lower denomination bills are smaller; bigger denomination bills are larger. Some have perforated corners to further help the blind determine the value. Only the United States and Canada print bills of uniform size.

Robertson gave the government 10 days to appeal his decision.

The American Council of the Blind has proposed several options for the government, including printing bills of differing sizes, adding embossed dots or foil to the paper, or using raised ink.

The government argued the dramatic change would cost billions and aid counterfeiters.

"Those arguments don't hold water," said Dennis Forgue, head of the currency department at Chicago numismatic firm Harlan J. Berk. "It's not something that's hard to do."

Forgue dismisses the argument that changes would aid counterfeiters as "ridiculous."

Noting recent changes in the color and internal content of U.S. bills, Forgue said, "There are plenty of anti-counterfeit devices in our currency. Just note the recent arrests of counterfeiters."

Jeffrey Lovitky, the attorney for those who brought the lawsuit, called it a "landmark decision."

"I believe it will benefit millions of people," Lovitky said.

Currently many of the blind bend down corners of bills so they know which one is $1, $5, $10, and so forth.

Some use electronic scanners. Receiving change, they must still rely on the honesty of clerks.

But many whose business is linked to currency complain that any changes will cause great expense and inconvenience.

"We are terribly disappointed," said Tom McMahon of the National Automatic Merchandising Association, which represents the vending machine industry.

He and others say 1.5 million to 2 million vending machines will need to be modified to take currency of different sizes at a cost of up to hundreds of dollars each.

As for automatic teller machines, there is dispute over whether they would need to be modified.

Advocates for the blind point out that ATM machines manufactured in the United States are used in countries with different size money.

A recent report by the National Academy of Science says bill width is more important than bill length to ATMs and money-sorting machines. Varying the denomination by length, the report says, might make it possible to continue using current machines.

Robertson said he would not tell officials how to fix the problem.

Government lawyers, meanwhile, say they have not decided whether to appeal.