[nfbmi-talk] currency readers from hill blog

[Marcus Simmons]

If you don't have your reader yet, call 1 888 657 7323 on September 2 and 
NLS will accommodate you.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "joe harcz Comcast via nfbmi-talk" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
To: <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2014 10:59 AM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] currency readers from hill blog


Thousands of ‘Currency Readers’ in the Pipeline for the Blind



By

Anne L. Kim

Posted at 4:31 p.m. on June 11

Comments in post: Thousands of ‘Currency Readers’ in the Pipeline for the 
Blind 0





While a $1 bill means something entirely different than a $100 bill, they 
might not feel too different to the visually impaired. The government is 
ready

to do something about that challenge, though.



The Bureau of Engraving and Printing expects to distribute between 100,000 
and 500,000 “currency readers” to the blind and others who are visually 
impaired,

says Larry R. Felix, director of the bureau in

written testimony

for a House Financial Services Committee hearing today.



In a report last year,

the Government Accountability Office described the gizmos as “portable 
electronic devices capable of speaking the denomination of a bill out loud.”



The effort is

part of a response by the Treasury Department

to a court ruling several years ago that directed the department to provide 
the blind and visually impaired with meaningful access to currency.

“We plan to launch a pilot program this summer and roll the program out 
nationally in 2015. The project plan is under joint development and will be 
operated

by the BEP an the LOC/NLS,” Felix said in his statement. LOC/NLS is the 
Library of Congress’

service for the blind and physically handicapped.

Felix said the office helped to develop the readers.



To make active links and source click:



http://blogs.rollcall.com/technocrat/hundreds-of-thousands-of-currency-readers-in-the-pipeline-for-the-blind/?dcz=





This is from “The Hill Blog”


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