Category: Daily Living
So last night somebody told me that the NLS program is going to start giving out, for free, bill identifiers because the treasury has found no way to make our bills accessible by putting tactile markings on them. I'm not surprised at the deal about not being able to mark the money but wonder about the library system giving out free bill identifiers in the U.S.
The idea of not being able to make money that is identifiable is BS. If Canada's treasury can do it, so can the US Mint.
Bea, I saw this on Twitter also. I believe it's true though I can't back it.
Kate, I agree with you. I have traveled internationally, unlike the White Nationalist Federation of the Blind people apparently. I've heard these white nationalist fools try and give me all sort of funny-sounding apologetic for why American blind people should not have currency of different sizes.
Compare that to when I went to the bank to make the exchange, back in the early 90s, before flying off to Tokyo. It was cheaper and better to do cash exchanges in the home country in those days. At least you'd know what you were getting.
It was with a bit of pride the Japanese Exchange counter took time to explain to me the different sizes and how world currency really is outside of the U.S.
The reason the NFB apologetic against accessible currency works, is because they, and most of their listeners, are very poorly educated about regions beyond their own borders. Not even Canada which is part of the North American continent they inhabit! This produces spectacular incredulity at its highest. It's born of ethnocentricity and a very sad case of we-ain't-never-done-it-like-that-before.
It makes things challenging for blind travelers to the U.S., who are here on business or something, but have not developed their own money folding system as we do here. And these business travelers in their own nations, and even THIRD WORLD NATIONS!, take for granted that they can identify paper money on the fly at a shop in their own countries.
You have the White Nationalist Federation of the Blind to thank for blocking this move to internationally-accessible currency. I live in a very international city, which makes the whole idea they have appear even stupider than it might otherwise.
Perhaps they should just give it up and go hang out with the featherwoods and peckerwoods on Stormfront.org.
It's stuff like this, and that organization, that often makes Americans appear ethnocentric, backwards, self-absorbed, and extremely poorly educated on the affairs of other nations. One might not know this, unless you travel abroad and find out. But, they apparently have not done so, considering the nonsense apologetic they made up about currency and accessibility.
Here's a tip: We do new designs for currency every few years anyway, to keep away from counterfeiters, and it wouldn't be a huge deal to change bill sizing during that same change. Such as when they recently updated the magnetic strips in some of the bills.
The NLS should concentrate on the free digital book players and free books for download on BARD and not waste their money on this. The government certainly is able to make identifiable money if they are motivated to do so, but apparently they are not. They'd rather have blind people suffer cutbacks in the book program than take responsibility for allowing us to easily identify money without a special piece of equipment.
And this, my friends, is burocracy at its best.
Bureaucracy plus the aforementioned peckerwood/featherwood lobbyists that make bureaucracy do strange things like this.
It would have been cheaper to just do accessible currency in 05 / 06, but we had to have a white nationalist federation lobby to rail against it first, so we could have currency less accessible than that of Afghanistan.
wow and I didn't know such a thing existed as we don't have any thing like that here, not that I've seen.
Hmm, I haven't heard this one yet. First, it's crap that the Treasury can't make money accessible. Surely they can, they simply don't want to, and this sounds like their way of trying to get around it. And why would NLS of all agencies get involved? What would the library service have to do with money? Confused.
Apparently this is not a rumor. I get a Braille newsletter from the branch of the NLS where I used to get my books on tape (before BARD allowed me to download them), and there was something in this month's newsletter about this. Personally, like others have said, I think it's stupid for money to be wasted on such a project when I know damn well the treasury department could create accessible money if they wanted to.
The irony is that, unless I'm remembering incorrectly, the White Nationalist Federation of the Blind was the organization that originally tried to introduce legislation that would require the production of more accessible forms of currency. Then at some point they backed out of it, spewing some nonsense about how it would isolate the blind even more than we already are as their reason for backpeddling. I for one haven't used a Note Teller in years and in fact am seriously considering investing in the LookTell app for the IPhone.
Yes, I thought the law was passed. I just think the NFB made such a case, they are dragging there feet.
I honestly don't see the need for it myself, and now if you carry a cellphone, you've got your money identifier in your pocket.
We could use the money required to tool up for such a venture on better programs then making different sized money.
We're just about going to credit cards anyway, or money cards, so I say put that funding in to something better.
I would rather have different size money than to use a reader to scann it. i have to use a reader for work and it takes a few seconds to work then you have people asking you how it works so on...
I like for less chit chat and faster action to get and go...
I think we are going to be using cash for a while yet so just suck it up and change the bills please people...
It's just that dozens of other countries have had accessible money for decades. I'm not sure that they necessarily did this to help blind people, in fact I doubt it, but the fact is their money is easy to identify whether you have sight or not. So I know damn well our treasury department could do it.
Sure, it can be done. It is just expensive due to the changes required. I'd like to see these funds put in to better traffic signals, street renewal in cities, learning programs so that all blind persons get proper teaching from birth, or when required.
Life tools, like braille displays, computers, whatever required to live.
Well put. They could have spent all the money on those programs rather than the pipe dream of a vibrating blind driveable car.
I totally agree; money is being used for the wrong things with these organizations that are supposed to be helping us. Who cares about drivable cars for the blind? Bet the insurance would be astronomical.
Well, soon we'll have driverless cars, for the people, so. Lol
Now what they should have spent that money on was better call a ride transportation for the blind much like we have here in Denver.
Should be nation wide, not only good in some states.
Yeah really. I've been hearing people talk about an IPhone and possibly Adroid app called Lyft that enables blind folks to arrange for drivers when they need to go out at lower prices than cabs. Unfortunately it's not available everywhere and yet I've been hearing a lot of really great things about it.
Two points: I have heard that NLS is indeed considering providing refreshable displays to its patrons so that the very expensive production of paper Braille can be shelved. As far as driverless cars, I have to disagree. When I first heard the idea, I, like you, thought, yeah sure that's stupid. However, I've done a lot of reading on the subject since then and I think it is workable, and probably sooner thanyou think. The technology already exists it is just a metter of refining a few things. Insurance may be a problem at first until the concept proves reliable, but it will happen, and it may make a really huge difference to the blind community. The problem won't be making an affordable car that can drive itself eventually, but, how will the majority of blind people who are unemployed ever afford one.
Ah, but you see, the driverless car is being developed in general for everyone, not just the blind.
When a driverless car is available, there will be no reason, other then human ability to take over if the car mis functions.
So, you see, there is no need to spend money on such a device specificly for the blind.
Insurance is going to be a problem in general, even for seeing persons.
There, as I see it, nothing special that could be put in to a driverless car for a blind person a sighted person wouldn't need. Maybe speech to work the controls, but that doesn't require developing the total car.
Next, why is it so important to add this to the blind community, when even perfectly sighted person don't drive for varying reasons?
Sure, I understand the freedom it gives, but that freedom will be extremely limited as to affordability.
Should we give blind persons there own car as well, or wouldn't it be more cost affective to improve what we've already got in place, and not add more cars to the roads?
Pasco brings up some brilliant points.
Wayne I agree with you. Driverless cars / vehicles have been used in the military for years now. Not on nice clean roads or race tracks like the NFB mobile was: we're talking mountains in Afghanistan with ruts and nasties all over the place.
And, I also think being ecologically responsible, we would find ways to use fewer cars, not more. You get ecologically sound scientists like my brother going on this topic (not the blind, just what we're doing to the environment), and you begin to understand beyond what they show us on the news.
The Daughter has our car now, and we have been car-free since moving into Portland. When we need a car, we use the ZipCar subscription service. If one of those drove itself, I would be driving it.
Eco-friendly is not just the way of uber snooties with a ton of money, or those who want to live on nothing and go without electricity. There are more and more ways to go about this now. Even the old-style suburban planning is giving way to more development where people can walk to things.
The individual in their own car is what won Ronald Ragan the election in 1980: It's the American way, he said. Don't worry about foreign oil, or ecological problems.
And actually, I'm guessing any car that drives itself is largely electric and so lower carbon footprint.
Well, seeing as many of you know exactly how the money should be spent, do you have any intentions of running for positions where you have the power to change things?
I am not in the place to run for the office. If I were I'd run sure.
My ideas on how money should be spent are logical, not just going on.
Why should the NFB spend money on a car that is already being developed?
Why do we need specific money, when we have devices now that can read it anyway?
I'll take a gas guzzling blind mobile and a huge bumper sticker that says, "Spend more on oil, keep the Taliban in business."
... or I'll use public transport and my own feet instead, and vote for people who enhance city / urban access for more and more Americans. Sorry, I know the NFB are Conservatives, but the Ronald Reagan way gave us 9/11, in part. Not buying into any of it anymore.
Well said Leo. Besides the chancesof a blind person actually etting elected to a positionof power are fairly remote to say the least.
Yeah, that's what was said about the chance for a black president too. Pesimism never got blind people, or anyone else anywhere. Dream a bit, it's good for you.
Fine, but in the mean time? Lets waste good money on better ideas!
Not everyone with a great idea can be in office, We don't have enough ofices to go around, or everyone would be employed. this is why we select one person to be our voice to voice all of our ideas.
Also, I know that a lot of people, even blind ones, are fighting aginst the change of money because all those vending machines out there ran by the blind would cost a lot to get changed and it cuts in to peoples money.
braille displays through the NLs? I'm all for it, assuming this is actually going to happen.
The difference is that being black doesn't necessitate making any modification to the job the way blindness would. Congress didn't have to buy all kinds of specialist technology when Obunghole was elected. That alone would probably destroy a blind person's chances of election. And Congress and the government have a real problem with spending money where it would actually be needed as opposed to blowing it on ridiculous projects like the Bridge to Nowhere.
I'm dreaming, as Pasco said.
... For Pasco as President.
-- you had to know that was comin' buddy. Smile.
Oh and Wayne for Vice, maybe?
Fine. I'll take vice. Lol
Give me the oval office on Friday's though.
Pasco? OK but I still ain't made me mind up about Richland or Kennowick. Yeah, figured only Leo would get that one.
Lol I like it. So, take both perhaps?
Yeah, I think having the three available would help.