JFActivist

Advocate Responds to Columnist's Criticism of Court's Currency Decision

The following article was written in response to columnist Roy Exum's article from two weeks ago, criticizing a U.S. Court of Appeal's decision that U.S. currency discriminates against blind individuals.

From The Herald News (June 1):

Quit passing the buck; bills simply are noncents

By Valerie Brew-Parrish

Hey Mister Roy Exum, what's in your wallet? Do you see a $5, $10, or how about a $20?

Yep, you don't have to be bothered folding your $1 bills lengthwise or your $5 bills another direction in order to identify the currency.

Your keen sight identifies the money lickety split. Have you ever had an unscrupulous cashier deliberately miscount that hard-earned cash in order to rip you off? If so, you could spot the deception. Well, let me tell you, there is probably not a blind person on this planet that has not, at one time or another, been cheated. Some cashiers even assume blindness is catchy. On too numerous occasions I have watched cashiers count out bills to my husband, who is blind, by intentionally telling him the wrong denominations. It is infuriating.

So Mr. Exum, in your column titled "Enough is Enough," written for the Chattanoogan.com, lamenting the May 20 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals to redesign the U.S. currency to be accessible to the blind, smacks of bigotry...

...Read more.

Please, Is This $1 or $100?

From The New York Times (May 28):

EDITORIAL

Please, Is This $1 or $100?

In most countries, it is fairly easy for people to tell how many euros or pounds or yen they are holding in their hands. Different denominations can come in different sizes and colors. Some have filaments or other characteristics that make it easy to recognize their value by touch. The all-American “greenback” is an exception, but it should not be.

In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Council of the Blind, a federal appeals court in Washington has ruled, properly, that American currency discriminates against the blind because the bills are too hard to tell apart....

...Read the rest to see where the New York Times comes down on this court decision (free registration may be required).

U.S. Court Rules Paper Money Discriminates Against Blind

From The Chicago Tribune (May 21):

Excerpts from:

Blind victory may change feel of cash
Is it $1 or $20? Fingers can't tell. But a federal ruling paves the way for different sizes or other clues

By Monique Garcia

...The judges found that because different denominations of paper money are indistinguishable by touch, the government is discriminating against blind people. The decision could force the Treasury Department to make significant changes to currency, such as printing different-sized bills for different amounts or giving them raised markings.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued the 2-1 ruling in a lawsuit by the American Council of the Blind. The government has been fighting the case for about six years and could appeal the ruling. Officials said Tuesday they were reviewing the decision...

...Read more.

Court Deines Bid to Sterilize Woman with Traumatic Brain Injury and Other Disabilities

From the Chicago Tribune:

Court denies bid to sterilize mentally disabled woman
Advocates, ethicists hail precedent-setting ruling

By Michael Higgins | Tribune reporter
April 18, 2008

Disability rights advocates and medical ethicists praised a precedent-setting ruling Friday by the Illinois Appellate Court denying a bid to sterilize a mentally disabled woman against her will...

...Read more.

"Disability Law Lowdown" Podcast Launch

From the Disability Business and Technical Assistance Centers (DBTAC) Southwest ADA Center:

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PRESS RELEASE 

 
DISABILITY LAW LOWDOWN PODCAST LAUNCH

January, 9 2008 – On January 9, the first episode of the Disability Law Lowdown Podcast series will be available for free download on both iTunes and the Disability Law Lowdown website at http://dll.ada-podcast.com. The Disability Law Lowdown podcasts will deliver the latest in disability law information every other week. Listeners can subscribe to the podcasts to have shows automatically delivered to them. The podcasts are also available on the DLL website, where transcripts of the shows are simultaneously available.  

The hosts for the Disability Law Lowdown are Lex Frieden and Jacquie Brennan. Reporters from around the country will bring listeners the latest information about disability rights, disability case law updates, obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other disability-related topics. You can subscribe now and listen to a preview podcast with information about upcoming shows. During 2008, Disability Law Lowdown will begin offering podcasts in both Spanish and American Sign Language.

Disability Law Lowdown is brought to you by the national network of Disability Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs). All ten Centers are funded by the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research to provide technical assistance and training in the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability-related laws. Find out about the resources your regional center offers by calling 1-800-949-4232 (V/TTY). 

To subscribe, look for the Disability Law Lowdown podcast on iTunes, or go to our website at dll.ada-podcast.com. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONACT:
Jacquie Brennan
DBTAC Southwest ADA Center
(713) 520-0232

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