[nabs-l] Accessible currency WAS: NFB Philosophy

Fri Jul 20 15:08:59 UTC 2012

Good morning all,
I think there have been some very reasonable plans put forth to adopt
accessible currency.  One such plan that I thought made sense was the
phasing in of the new currency as the natural refresh cycles take
place.  The U.S. bills are redesigned on a cycle which I believe is 20
years, but I am not certain of that.  As each bill gets redesigned, it
is adapted to make it easier to identify by blind individuals.  When
these redesigneds take place, vendors and other automated bill
identification systems need to be updated or refreshed anyways, so
allowing them to identify the new currency should not be difficult.  I
believe a system similar to that of the Euro with bills of different
sizes would be the most practical method.  If we keep the same width
and just adapt the length of each bill, this reduces the need for
changes in hardware since most hardware accepts the bills with the
short side in.  This method allows a minimal impact on the cost to
vendors because most of the cost would be incurred anyway with the
refresh.  I acknowledge that there will be some cost beyond that
normally incurred, likely most pronounced in the manufacturing
process, but nothing comes without cost.  It is true that it would
take probably about 40 years for a majority of current currency to be
removed from circulation and the primary bill of transaction to be
accessible, but who said that our fight was a sprint.  Not only should
we consider the here and now, but the future as well.

As a different point, it seems that our transactions are becoming
increasingly digital and the use of cash is falling steeply.  Is the
need for accessible currency really there in the light of a lack of
use of cold hard cash as they say?  I personally have never owned or
used any bill identification device or software, and though I do see a
need for such things in certain situations, I have never really felt
that I was hopeless without one.

Just my two cents,
Respectfully,
Bill

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 7:32 AM, Joshua Lester
<jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
> What?
> After he posted on NFB-Talk, saying that he was leaving them?
> Wow!
> Thanks, Joshua
>
> On 7/20/12, Desiree Oudinot <turtlepower17 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Thank you, Tyler. Those were my thoughts exactly. One thing you've got
>> slightly wrong though is that the new money identifiers really aren't
>> clunky. The IBill, in fact, can easily fit into your pocket. Then you
>> just slide a bill into it and it identifies it for you. It can respond
>> by vibration, a series of beeps, or by speaking the denomination of
>> the bill. I have one of them, and not only is it inexpensive, but it
>> works well.
>> On the issue of accessible currency, I'm not in favor of that, either.
>> For one thing, it would take quite awhile for the old money to be
>> phased out. It would remain in circulation for years, thus you would
>> still have the old, inaccessible bills handed to you in most cases for
>> a long time. Second, think of how many things would have to be
>> modified--vending machines, cash registers, even things like arcade
>> games that might take dollar bills, all to fit the new currency. That
>> would be extremely costly. God knows that the government doesn't have
>> the money to spend on something like that. No, they're too busy
>> wasting it on pointless crap...Everything to do with every other
>> country's business, never stepping up to help our own people.
>> Back on topic, as far as the NFB's philosophy goes, I have to agree
>> with what Arielle said about not needing to be in an organization for
>> or of the blind to have a positive attitude about blindness. That's
>> like saying that one must be religious to have morals. No, I don't
>> want to know if people think that's true or false--I've heard enough
>> of that debate to last a lifetime--I'm just saying it to make a point.
>> While some people are certainly bolstered by being members of such an
>> organization, gaining something from being surrounded by like-minded
>> individuals, that's definitely not me. I'm not a member of either
>> organization, nor do I intend on becoming one. I use listservs of both
>> because I think that, like the core philosophy, the exchange of ideas,
>> support and thoughts should not be limited to what team you play for
>> so to speak. For the most part, it isn't. We're all people, and we all
>> deserve to be heard, no matter what flag we wave in the name of our
>> own self-discovery.
>> Oh, and Joshua, get your facts straight. Michael Capell decided to
>> stay with the ACB. I really don't think you should spread rumors about
>> people without knowing the whole story.
>>
>> On 7/20/12, Littlefield, Tyler <tyler at tysdomain.com> wrote:
>>> Josh,
>>> you really are an idiot. It's not to often that I just drop all sarcasm
>>> and really go for it, but I have to.
>>> You start out introducing nothing to the list but bad information and
>>> one-line "I agree," "I have those too," then you jump into bashing me
>>> when I ask about the philosophy of NFB. From there, we move into "Dam
>>> the ACB for not voting for fair wages. NFB voted against something, but
>>> hey, that's ok because we'd put the manufacturers of equipment and
>>> software out of business," and we go on to "omg it would cost lots of
>>> money to make this accessible."
>>>
>>> It's people like you who drive people away. Maybe you did just get
>>> Michael capell, congratulations, but there are people that switch back
>>> and forth all the time. If you have to wait for someone like Sean and
>>> the others on this list to give you an intelligent cogent philosophy you
>>> can grab on to as a lifeline so you can hop back up on your
>>> self-righteous confederationist soapbox, then all the more power to you.
>>> Might I propose though, that you go from being a mindless
>>> confederationist zombie who spews random crap and calls it fact, and
>>> actually consider thinking for yourself. Your arguments for the NFB not
>>> passing the accessible money is not logical at all. In fact, if I
>>> remember correctly, you were one of the ones screaming about things
>>> costing to much a few messages back.
>>>
>>> I don't want what I said to be taken as an attack on the NFB, either. I
>>> believe every organization has good members who can give good, valid
>>> information like Sean, Arielle and others have, but they also have a
>>> high percentage of mindless bafoons, like our dear friend, as well.
>>>
>>> I understand that it would cost money to make currency brailled and
>>> accessible, but hey, on the flip-side, it would cost money to pay
>>> disabled people fair wages, too, so lets just drop that, because we
>>> can't have something costing money now, can we?
>>>
>>> As for my idea of currency, I really have no idea how this would work
>>> out, since the braille could get smashed. Maybe there could be a strip
>>> of thicker paper at one end of the bill that would have the braille on
>>> it; it would not prevent it from getting pushed down, but it would
>>> certainly help, and we wouldn't have to walk around with one of them
>>> clunky expensive money readers, or hold the bill in front of the IPhone
>>> for 5 minutes rotating it every which direction until it picks it up and
>>> announces it.
>>> On 7/19/2012 11:43 PM, Joshua Lester wrote:
>>>> Also, do you know how much it would cost to make the money accessible?
>>>> My idea, when Alan Ramos first presented it to me, was a Brailled
>>>> currency.
>>>> What is your idea of accessible currency?
>>>> I'm curious!
>>>> Thanks, Joshua
>>>>
>>>> On 7/20/12, Littlefield, Tyler <tyler at tysdomain.com> wrote:
>>>>> I did attend the convention. I did not, however go to every general
>>>>> session from 8 to 5.
>>>>> But hey. lets bash the ACB for not voting for fair wages, for whatever
>>>>> reason they did, but not make money accessible because gosh, we sure
>>>>> don't want to put the manufacturers of a program out of business. Your
>>>>> logic is flawless, my friend.
>>>>> On 7/19/2012 11:20 PM, Joshua Lester wrote:
>>>>>> Well, did you attend the convention?
>>>>>> You should know!
>>>>>> I'm not "bashing," but am concerned that they claim to be of the
>>>>>> blind, but they vote against fair wages.
>>>>>> BTW, they voted for the accessible currency, but we voted against it.
>>>>>> I've heard from both sides of the issue, and I take the NFB's
>>>>>> position, because accessible currency would put the manufacturers of
>>>>>> the IBill out of business.
>>>>>> Blessings, Joshua
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 7/20/12, Littlefield, Tyler <tyler at tysdomain.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> Josh,
>>>>>>> Like I said, before you go organization bashing and flap your lips,
>>>>>>> you
>>>>>>> should probably ask someone in ACB who knows about it. There's been
>>>>>>> things that the NFB has voted against too, I'm sure.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 7/19/2012 10:30 PM, Joshua Lester wrote:
>>>>>>>> Arielle: that was a great post.
>>>>>>>> I just have one question about this.
>>>>>>>> If our philosophies aren't at odds, then why did the ACB vote, "Do
>>>>>>>> Not
>>>>>>>> Pass," on the "Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act,"
>>>>>>>> resolution at their convention?
>>>>>>>> Evidently, they're okay with disabled workers being paid below the
>>>>>>>> federally mandated minimum wage.
>>>>>>>> Hmmm!
>>>>>>>> Thanks, Joshua
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 7/19/12, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>>>>> I think Sean's description of "NFB philosophy" as he sees it was
>>>>>>>>> excellent. I would also add two things:
>>>>>>>>> 1. I don't think the NFB has a patent on this philosophy. In fact,
>>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>>> would argue that most committed ACB members and many other
>>>>>>>>> successful
>>>>>>>>> blind people who choose not to affiliate with organizations also
>>>>>>>>> espouse the positive philosophy of blindness that Sean described.
>>>>>>>>> The
>>>>>>>>> NFB has chosen to make this philosophy a central focus, but that
>>>>>>>>> does
>>>>>>>>> not mean that non-NFB members cannot live by it themselves or
>>>>>>>>> encourage others to accept it. It is important to remember that the
>>>>>>>>> ACB split off from the NFB, and although I am not an expert on what
>>>>>>>>> happened, everything I've read about the split suggests that it
>>>>>>>>> occurred because of disagreements about how leadership in the
>>>>>>>>> organization should be structured, not about fundamental philosophy
>>>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>>>> blindness. In more recent years the NFB and ACB have taken
>>>>>>>>> differing
>>>>>>>>> approaches to some policy issues, but that does not necessarily
>>>>>>>>> mean
>>>>>>>>> that their core philosophies of blindness are at odds. I don't
>>>>>>>>> think
>>>>>>>>> the two organizations should merge into one super-organization of
>>>>>>>>> blind Americans because I like the fact that individuals have
>>>>>>>>> choices
>>>>>>>>> about which organization to join and that there's not one big group
>>>>>>>>> monopolizing the organizational stage. But I also think that the
>>>>>>>>> NFB
>>>>>>>>> and ACB have more in common in terms of their goals for changing
>>>>>>>>> what
>>>>>>>>> it means to be blind than we might think on first glance.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> 2. To address Marc's point about universal design: In the nine
>>>>>>>>> years
>>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>>> have been a part of the NFB, I have observed that the NFB
>>>>>>>>> increasingly
>>>>>>>>> takes a pragmatic dualistic approach to promoting both individual
>>>>>>>>> coping with accessibility barriers and advocacy to bring them down.
>>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>>> would urge you to read the NFB 2012 resolutions once they become
>>>>>>>>> available online, and you will find that most of these resolutions
>>>>>>>>> address access barriers in one form or another and advocate for
>>>>>>>>> their
>>>>>>>>> removal. I believe the NFB is moving further in the direction of
>>>>>>>>> pushing for accessibility and I have seen change on this front even
>>>>>>>>> since the time when I first joined nine years ago. However, though
>>>>>>>>> we
>>>>>>>>> are committed to doing what we can to promote universal access for
>>>>>>>>> blind people, we also are aware that, realistically, it will take
>>>>>>>>> time
>>>>>>>>> for all those in power to make it happen. In the meantime, we are
>>>>>>>>> also
>>>>>>>>> working to help blind individuals figure out how to adapt to those
>>>>>>>>> barriers we are not yet able to control. For example, we will fight
>>>>>>>>> for full access to educational technology, but instead of waiting
>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>> enroll in college until this access happens, we will also work to
>>>>>>>>> harness the support of human readers and other adaptations so that
>>>>>>>>> we
>>>>>>>>> can still be successful in spite of these barriers. In other words,
>>>>>>>>> instead of pitting individual adaptation and universal design
>>>>>>>>> against
>>>>>>>>> each other as mutually exclusive options, why not take a dual
>>>>>>>>> approach
>>>>>>>>> toward both of these goals?
>>>>>>>>> Arielle
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On 7/19/12, Justin Salisbury <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> I have a few notes for a few different people on this thread.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Tyler:
>>>>>>>>>> I understand the hesitancy about getting involved when you don't
>>>>>>>>>> fully
>>>>>>>>>> agree
>>>>>>>>>> with everything that everyone else believes.  I once had that
>>>>>>>>>> hesitation
>>>>>>>>>> about getting involved with organized religion.  I started going
>>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>>>> campus
>>>>>>>>>> ministry at my college because a friend sold me on the free
>>>>>>>>>> dinner,
>>>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>>>> quickly learned that no church is homogenous in beliefs.  In some
>>>>>>>>>> churches,
>>>>>>>>>> the leadership will try like mad to perpetuate the idea that
>>>>>>>>>> everyone
>>>>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>>> church believes exactly what they do and that anyone who disagrees
>>>>>>>>>> slightly
>>>>>>>>>> is against them.  In my church, we aren't like that, and we
>>>>>>>>>> understand
>>>>>>>>>> that
>>>>>>>>>> people have differing views.  We unite under the idea that it's
>>>>>>>>>> okay
>>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>>> disagree on individual issues and discuss them, but we have
>>>>>>>>>> generally
>>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>>> same core beliefs.
>>>>>>>>>> That's how we are in the Federation.  If you don't agree with
>>>>>>>>>> something
>>>>>>>>>> we're doing, I'll make an effort to help you come to terms with it
>>>>>>>>>> because
>>>>>>>>>> that's my individual personality.  I often find that, when someone
>>>>>>>>>> disagrees
>>>>>>>>>> with something we're doing, it is because of a lack of
>>>>>>>>>> understanding
>>>>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>>>>> what
>>>>>>>>>> we're doing or the underlying issue.  At the end of the day, I
>>>>>>>>>> won't
>>>>>>>>>> shun
>>>>>>>>>> you.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Marc Workman:
>>>>>>>>>>     Of course we, in the Federation, fight to break down the
>>>>>>>>>> barriers.
>>>>>>>>>> Why
>>>>>>>>>> do
>>>>>>>>>> you think we do legislative lobbying?  Washington Seminar is an
>>>>>>>>>> absolutely
>>>>>>>>>> amazing experience, and you should try it!  We honor adaptability
>>>>>>>>>> because
>>>>>>>>>> there's no sense in being helpless in the meantime while we work
>>>>>>>>>> on
>>>>>>>>>> those
>>>>>>>>>> barriers.
>>>>>>>>>> On the mention of Sean's place in social stratification:  I am a
>>>>>>>>>> colored
>>>>>>>>>> person, I'm the first person in my family to go to college, and I
>>>>>>>>>> don't
>>>>>>>>>> bother wallowing in the lack of advantage that I face because of
>>>>>>>>>> it.
>>>>>>>>>> Quite
>>>>>>>>>> frankly, I'm not even convinced that I am disadvantaged by being a
>>>>>>>>>> colored
>>>>>>>>>> person.  With the first generation college student part, I have to
>>>>>>>>>> seek
>>>>>>>>>> mentors in the academic process from outside my family, and I know
>>>>>>>>>> many,
>>>>>>>>>> many educated Federationists who have eagerly fulfilled that role
>>>>>>>>>> for
>>>>>>>>>> me.
>>>>>>>>>> Lastly, I've made comments like "i've had this conversation with
>>>>>>>>>> you
>>>>>>>>>> before"
>>>>>>>>>> in a public manner to other people-trust me, I have-but I've
>>>>>>>>>> realized
>>>>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>>>>> retrospect that it only creates distance between everyone who
>>>>>>>>>> hears
>>>>>>>>>> me
>>>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>>> myself.  A lot of people take that as an implied personal attack.
>>>>>>>>>> I'm
>>>>>>>>>> not
>>>>>>>>>> saying Sean took it that way, but I'm sure plenty of people did
>>>>>>>>>> read
>>>>>>>>>> it
>>>>>>>>>> that
>>>>>>>>>> way.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Brandon Keith Biggs, I loved reading this part of your email:
>>>>>>>>>> In my book, there is no larger crime than depriving someone of
>>>>>>>>>> their
>>>>>>>>>> dreams
>>>>>>>>>> and the second biggest crime is taking away the chance for people
>>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>>> reach
>>>>>>>>>> for those dreams. For while there are dreams, there is hope. With
>>>>>>>>>> hope
>>>>>>>>>> life
>>>>>>>>>> always has enough energy to turn the corner and keep going.  The
>>>>>>>>>> NFB
>>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>>> me
>>>>>>>>>> is that hope and the rock and refuge that is always there for me
>>>>>>>>>> if
>>>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>>>> need
>>>>>>>>>> it.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Yours in Federationism,
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Justin Salisbury
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Justin M. Salisbury
>>>>>>>>>> Class of 2012
>>>>>>>>>> B.A. in Mathematics
>>>>>>>>>> East Carolina University
>>>>>>>>>> president at alumni.ecu.edu
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
>>>>>>>>>> can
>>>>>>>>>> change
>>>>>>>>>> the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
>>>>>>>>>> —MARGARET
>>>>>>>>>> MEAD
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> Take care,
>>>>>>> Ty
>>>>>>> http://tds-solutions.net
>>>>>>> The aspen project: a barebones light-weight mud engine:
>>>>>>> http://code.google.com/p/aspenmud
>>>>>>> He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool;
>>>>>>> he
>>>>>>> that
>>>>>>> dares not reason is a slave.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Take care,
>>>>> Ty
>>>>> http://tds-solutions.net
>>>>> The aspen project: a barebones light-weight mud engine:
>>>>> http://code.google.com/p/aspenmud
>>>>> He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he
>>>>> that
>>>>> dares not reason is a slave.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>> --
>>> Take care,
>>> Ty
>>> http://tds-solutions.net
>>> The aspen project: a barebones light-weight mud engine:
>>> http://code.google.com/p/aspenmud
>>> He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he
>>> that
>>> dares not reason is a slave.
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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-- 
Bill Casson
University of New Mexico
M.S. Computer Science
Lewis & Clark Alumnus '11
B.A. Physics and Math/Comp Sci.
(505) 695-1374
cassonw at gmail.com