[nfbwatlk] Fw: [Blindattic] Off-Topic: DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY proposal (fwd)

[Lauren Merryfield]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jennifer Chambers" <jennilee at shellworld.net>
To: "Blind Treasures" <blindattic at blindtreasures.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2010 10:07 PM
Subject: [Blindattic] Off-Topic: DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY proposal (fwd)


>
> DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
> Bureau of Engraving and Printing
> Meaningful Access to United States Currency for Blind and Visually 
> Impaired
> Persons
> AGENCY: Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Department of the Treasury.
> ACTION: Notice of proposed agency action and request for public comments.
> SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the Bureau of
> Engraving and Printing (BEP) are issuing this Notice pursuant to the 
> ruling
> in American Council of the Blind v. Paulson that ordered Treasury to
> provide meaningful access to U.S. currency to people who are blind and
> visually impaired pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
> 1973, as amended. BEP seeks to develop a solution that fully complies with
> the Court's order and provides people who are blind and visually impaired
> meaningful access to U.S. currency, while also giving appropriate
> consideration to the interests of domestic and international users of
> currency, U.S. businesses, and cash handling and cash-intensive 
> industries.
> The purposes of this Federal Register Notice are to inform the public of
> the features that BEP intends to propose to the Secretary of the Treasury
> to accommodate people who are blind and visually impaired in denominating
> U.S. currency, and to solicit public comment on the proposed
> accommodations.
> DATES: Submit comments on or before August 18, 2010.
> ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting addresses and
> information about submitting public comments.
> FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Gano, 202-874-1200.
> SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
> By statute, the Secretary of the Treasury has sole authority for approving
> designs of U.S. Federal Reserve notes (U.S. currency). To develop the
> designs, Treasury works in collaboration with the Board of Governors of 
> the
> Federal Reserve System (Board) and the Department of Homeland Security's
> United States Secret Service (USSS), through the Advanced Counterfeit
> Deterrence (ACD) Steering Committee.\1\ As a general guideline, the ACD 
> has
> recommended that Treasury redesign Federal Reserve notes every seven to 
> ten
> years to deter counterfeiting by anticipating advances in technologies. 
> The
> most recent redesign of the currency commenced in 2003, and the final note
> in that series of currency design is in production. As Treasury begins its
> design plans for a new family of currency, Treasury and BEP will
> incorporate additional features to accommodate people who are blind and
> visually impaired. Although it is somewhat difficult to provide a specific
> date or time frame as to when the redesign of this new family of currency
> will be completed, BEP is required by the Court's order to "take such 
> steps
> as may be required to provide meaningful access to United States currency
> for blind and other visually impaired persons * * * not later than the 
> date
> when a redesign of that denomination is next approved by the Secretary of
> the Treasury."
> In anticipation of this endeavor, in January of 2008, BEP commissioned a
> comprehensive study to (1) review and analyze the needs of the blind and
> visually impaired relating to the identification of U.S. currency through
> focus groups, surveys, and usability tests; (2) examine various methods
> that might improve access to the currency by the blind and visually
> impaired through discussions with subject matter experts, foreign currency
> experts, and advocacy groups; (3) perform a cost impact analysis of
> possible accommodations on various government and industry sectors; and 
> (4)
> provide a decision model, by which BEP could evaluate various potential
> accommodations. See Final Report: Study to Address Options for Enabling 
> the
> Blind and Visually Impaired Community to Denominate U.S. Currency, July
> 2009 (Study), which can be found on the BEP Web site at
> http://www.bep.gov/uscurrency/
>  meaningfulaccess.html
> <
> http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html
> <
> http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log
> =linklog&to=
> http://www.bep.gov/uscurrency/meaningfulaccess.html
>>
> &log=linklog&to=
> http://www.bep.gov/uscurrency/meaningfulaccess.html
>> .
> Although there are a wide variety of definitions and methodologies to
> define blindness and visual impairment, the Study used the following
> definitions: it defined blind individuals as those who have no useful
> vision for reading any amount of print, and visually impaired individuals
> as those who have difficulty seeing but are able to read some print (with
> or without corrective lenses).
> Summary of Proposed Design Modifications ` Based upon the Study's findings
> and BEP's own expertise in manufacturing U.S. currency, BEP proposes to
> recommend to the Secretary of the Treasury the following:
> I. Tactile Feature. As part of the next currency redesign, BEP will 
> develop
> and deploy a raised tactile feature that builds upon current tactile
> feature technologies. The tactile feature will be unique to each Federal
> Reserve note denomination that it may lawfully change, and will provide
> users with a means of identifying each denomination by way of touch.\2\
> II. Large, High-Contrast Numerals. Consistent with current practice, BEP
> will continue its practice of adding large, high-contrast numerals and
> different and distinct color schemes to each denomination that it is
> permitted by law to alter to further assist visually impaired citizens.
> III. Supplemental Currency Reader Program. BEP also proposes to recommend
> to the Secretary of the Treasury a supplemental measure that will be taken
> in order to provide access to U.S. currency. This measure would involve a
> process to loan and distribute currency readers to the blind and visually
> impaired at no cost to them. BEP believes this process will ameliorate
> difficulties stemming from the transition that will occur during the
> co-circulation of notes with and without a tactile feature and large, high
> contrast numerals, a transition which will persist for many years after 
> the
> introduction of the tactile- enhanced note.
> In addition, BEP will continue to explore emerging technological solutions
> to provide access to U.S. currency, such as the development of software to
> enable blind and visually impaired individuals to fully access U.S.
> currency. Some of the options include the development and deployment of
> assistive software to enable banknote denomination using cellular phones,
> computers, and imaging and reading devices.
> Recommendation Details
> I. Tactile Feature: BEP will develop and incorporate a raised tactile
> feature that will accommodate people who are blind and visually impaired.
> This feature will enable blind and visually impaired individuals to
> identify currency by touching the tactile feature. The Study demonstrated
> that raised tactile features allow most blind and visually impaired
> individuals to denominate currency. Indeed, this kind of feature is used 
> in
> some foreign currency, and the Study's data indicated that this feature 
> was
> more effective than virtually every other kind of accommodation tested,
> including different-sized notes. Additionally, a raised tactile feature
> would not cause a major disruption to the general population because the
> notes will not appear substantially different from their current form.
> BEP recognizes that implementing a raised tactile feature will pose some
> challenges. First, the Study showed that current tactile technology wears
> out eventually, so the effectiveness of the feature diminishes over time.
> In addition, the Study showed that a raised tactile feature would impose
> costs on both government and industry. For example, some major cash
> handlers expressed concern over stacking, mechanical counting, 
> examination,
> and finishing processes of notes with raised tactile features. The banking
> industry echoed the major cash handlers' concern of equipment malfunctions
> caused by jams and added concerns that increased jams would require higher
> inventory levels with associated increased carrying costs to ensure
> sufficient cash would be available at all times. In addition, BEP will 
> need
> to put forth a comprehensive public education program for all users of 
> U.S.
> currency to acquaint them with the new tactile feature.
> The selection of the raised tactile feature will require additional
> targeted research, testing, and consideration of the public comments.
> Nonetheless, the significant benefits of notes with a tactile feature,
> including the excellent accuracy results the blind and visually impaired
> achieved with them, the ease of use evidenced both by the usability tests
> and applicable scientific research, and the relatively minimal impact on
> the general U.S. population, supports the inclusion of a raised tactile
> feature as a recommended accommodation despite its challenges. Based on
> experience, independent research, and the Study, BEP believes it can
> develop a raised tactile feature that is durable and can be incorporated
> into its existing manufacturing systems at a reasonable cost, coincident
> with the introduction of the next design series of U.S. currency.
> BEP invites comment on its proposal to incorporate raised tactile features
> in the next redesign of its currency.
> II. Large, High-Contrast Numerals: BEP began incorporating large,
> high-contrast numerals into Federal Reserve notes beginning with the 
> Series
> 1996 design $50 note in October 1997. In March 2008, BEP increased the 
> size
> of the large high contrast numeral with the introduction of the Series 
> 2006
> $5 note. The feedback received from visually impaired individuals has been
> positive. This feature will be continued in the new-design $100 note, 
> which
> is the last in the Series 2004 family of designs. Because BEP has
> experience printing this feature and the visually impaired community has
> provided positive feedback on it, BEP proposes to continue using this
> feature in the next design for U.S. currency. BEP is aware, however, that
> there may be a number of options concerning the size, color, placement,
> background contrast and other features for these large numerals that may
> improve accessibility of currency for persons with low-vision. BEP invites
> comment from the public, including persons with low-vision, about the best
> choices for the proposed large, high-contrast numerals.
> III. Supplemental Currency Reader Program: BEP will establish a
> supplemental currency reader distribution program. The purpose of the
> program is to provide blind and visually impaired people a means that can
> be used independently to correctly identify the denomination of U.S.
> currency. In compliance with legal requirements, BEP will loan a currency
> reader device to all blind and visually impaired U.S. citizens and legal
> residents, who wish to avail themselves of this program. The individual 
> may
> borrow the reader for as long as the individual desires the assistance of
> the reader. Before a reader is distributed, BEP first will verify that the
> requestor is eligible.
> Under the reader program, individuals who are United States citizens or
> persons legally residing in the United States who are blind or visually
> impaired and who need a reader to accurately identify the denomination of
> U.S. currency will be able to obtain a reader at no cost to the 
> individual.
> BEP will define blind or visually impaired under the same definition as 
> the
> Study, with the following change to the Study's definition of visual
> impairment: The reader program will not extend to visually impaired
> individuals whose impairment is corrected with ordinary eyeglasses or
> contact lenses.
> BEP is considering the scope of an appropriate verification framework to
> determine eligibility to receive a reader. Specifically, it is considering
> a framework inspired by the eligibility requirements that the Library of
> Congress uses when loaning library materials to blind and other disabled
> persons as set forth in 36 CFR 701.6. Under that framework, applicants may
> submit verification of their eligibility from a "competent authority." BEP
> would define a "competent authority as one of the following: doctors of
> medicine, doctors of osteopathy, doctors of optometry, registered nurses,
> and licensed practical nurses.
> Alternatively, if a person who is blind or visually impaired has
> verification of visual impairment from another Federal agency, including
> the Social Security Administration, the Library of Congress, or a State or
> local agency, that person need only submit a copy of that verification. 
> BEP
> is inviting comments on whether this verification system is appropriate, 
> or
> whether other frameworks would be more appropriate.
> Parents or legal guardians of a blind or visually impaired child under 18,
> and caregivers, legal guardians, or those with power of attorney for a 
> U.S.
> citizen or someone legally residing in the U.S. may act as a proxy on
> behalf of the blind or visually impaired child or represented individual
> and request a currency reader. BEP will require verification for the child
> or represented individual.
> BEP will solicit and award a single, long-term contract to implement the
> currency reader program. The contractor will be designated as the Currency
> Reader Program Coordinator (CRPC). Once the program is operational, a
> potentially eligible person may request a currency reader by contacting 
> the
> CRPC and completing and submitting a request form. Depending on the
> verification framework adopted, upon verification of eligibility, the
> person will be provided a reader. If an individual believes that the CRPC
> erroneously denied him or her a reader, the individual may appeal the
> decision to the appropriate authority at BEP, who will be designated after
> BEP awards the CRPC contract.
> Except for the postage to mail application forms to the CRPC, the user
> should not have to expend any funds for the reader. Any fees for shipping
> and the initial battery will be borne by the provider. Readers will be
> delivered by mail. There will be a "one reader per verified eligible
> person" limit. Though there is a "one reader" limit, an eligible 
> individual
> may receive a replacement reader from the CRPC upon request if the
> circumstances, such as a lost, damaged, or obsolete reader, are reasonable
> and warrant replacement.
> The CRPC will also establish a selection of approved reader suppliers. BEP
> anticipates that more than one reader supplier may be authorized by the
> CRPC to provide readers and will seek to keep costs low by requiring
> suppliers to meet the lowest price in order to be a program participant.
> The CRPC shall:
> 1. Be responsible for overall implementation and operation of the program
> pursuant to a government contract;
> 2. Have the program operational within six months after contract award;
> 3. Communicate with eligible persons via mail, Braille, e-mail, phone, 
> fax,
> TTY, and Web site;
> 4. Maintain a help desk for a minimum of ten hours a day, five days a 
> week;
> 5. Be able quickly to scale up or down staffing resources to react to
> demand on the program;
> 6. Accept requests for readers;
> 7. Verify eligibility, using the appropriate criteria;
> 8. Within three weeks of receiving a request, either provide a reader to a
> requester deemed eligible or inform said person that he or she does not
> meet the eligibility criteria;
> 9. Establish a formal CRPC Authorized Supplier Program, with documented
> contractual controls and agreements between the CRPC and each supplier;
> 10. Monitor each supplier's operation;
> 11. Certify each supplier's reader products;
> 12. Publicize a list of approved suppliers and products;
> 13. Establish payment mechanisms for authorized suppliers;
> 14. Evaluate and possibly add new reader suppliers as they enter the
> market;
> 15. Suspend reader suppliers if they fail to perform;
> 16. Establish internal controls to assist BEP in preventing fraud, waste,
> and abuse; and obtain an annual independently verified SAS-70 Report (Type
> II) of those controls;
> 17. Maintain a database of each person who requested a reader, was issued 
> a
> reader, or was denied a reader, and for readers issued, which reader
> (including its serial number) was issued to which person;
> 18. Implement privacy controls; and
> 19. Ensure that all CRPC Authorized Suppliers are able and contractually
> obligated to:
> a. Provide a reader that quickly and accurately denominates U.S. currency;
> b. Interact with verified eligible persons via mail, Braille, e- mail,
> phone, fax, TTY, and Web site;
> c. Provide readers directly to verified eligible persons if necessary;
> d. Provide accessible instructional materials on how to use the reader;
> e. Provide readers that use a non-proprietary battery;
> f. Provide readers with unique serial numbers for accountability;
> g. Provide at least a one-year parts and labor warranty on each reader;
> h. Provide free return postage for malfunctioning readers and for warranty
> service; and
> i. Recognize that the selection of a reader is based on the free market 
> and
> personal choice and that there is no minimum quantity of readers that the
> government guarantees from any supplier.
> BEP will assess the structure of this program on a continuing basis and
> implement changes as needed to enhance its effectiveness or efficiency.
> Funding
> The Board pays BEP for its currency-related expenses, which are primarily
> the costs of producing new currency. BEP's costs associated with
> incorporating the proposed tactile and large, high-contrast numeral
> features would be funded by the Board, as are the costs of other design
> elements for U.S. currency. BEP plans also to charge the Board for the
> costs associated with the proposed currency readers. Because the U.S.
> District Court for the District of Columbia determined that BEP is 
> required
> by the Rehabilitation Act to provide meaningful access to U.S. currency,
> BEP believes these costs represent a necessary expense that may be
> appropriately charged to the Board.
> Questions for Comment
> Treasury welcomes all comments and suggestions regarding the proposed
> solutions. Treasury is particularly interested, however, in comments on 
> the
> specific questions set forth below:
> 1. What would be the ideal placement of the raised tactile feature? In 
> what
> kind of pattern or patterns should the raised tactile feature be arranged?
> 2. How should the large, high contrast numerals be incorporated? In other
> words, what colors should BEP use, what is the optimal size of the
> numerals, and where should the numerals be placed on the note?
> 3. What background colors would provide the highest color contrast for
> people who are visually impaired?
> 4. What technological solutions should BEP explore to help people who are
> blind and visually impaired denominate currency?
> 5. What is the nature of the burden, if any, on the general public of
> including a raised tactile feature on U.S. currency?
> 6. If there are any burdens imposed on the public by a raised tactile
> feature on currency, how can such burdens be minimized?
> 7. What is the nature of the burden, if any, on industry and business of
> including a raised tactile feature on U.S. currency?
> 8. If there are such burdens, how can they be minimized?
> 9. Does the supplemental currency reader program impose a burden on the
> blind and visually impaired?
> 10. If so, what are those burdens, and how can they be minimized?
> 11. Does a verification process of the currency reader program inspired by
> the Library of Congress process impose too a great a burden on the blind
> and visually impaired?
> 12. If so, what are those burdens, and how can they be minimized?
> 13. Alternatively, if a person who is blind or visually impaired has
> verification of visual impairment from another Federal agency (such as the
> Social Security Administration or Library of Congress), or a State or 
> local
> agency, should BEP allow that person to submit a copy of that verification
> in order to satisfy a proof of visual impairment requirement in order to
> obtain a currency reader? If so, what burdens might this impose, and how
> can those burdens be minimized?
> 14. Should BEP consider working with local governments and/or State
> agencies to deliver the currency readers?
> 15. Should BEP consider additional or different criteria when determining
> eligibility for the currency reader program?
> 16. What administrative and/or operational challenges does the currency
> reader program create?
> Electronic Submission of Comments, Electronic Access and Mailing Address
> Regulations.gov offers the public the ability to comment on, search, and
> view publicly available rulemaking materials, including comments received
> on rules. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. You may
> also e-mail electronic comments to
> meaningful.access at bep.gov
> . You may fax
> comments to 202-874-1212. Please mail any written comments to Meaningful
> Access, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Office of External Relations,
> 14th and C Streets, SW., Room 530-1M, Washington, DC 20228.
> In general, comments received will be published on Regulations.gov without
> change, including any business or personal information provided. Comments
> received, including attachments and other supporting materials, are part 
> of
> the public record and subject to public disclosure. Do not enclose any
> information in your comment or supporting materials that you consider
> confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure.
> You may also inspect and copy comments at: Treasury Department Library,
> Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) collection, Room 1428, Main Treasury
> Building, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20220. Before
> visiting, you must call (202) 622-0990 for an appointment.
> Public Forum
> BEP will host two open public forums simultaneously on June 22, 2010. One
> will be held at the Eastern Currency Facility (14th and C Streets, SW.,
> Washington, DC 20228) and the other at the Western Currency Facility (9000
> Blue Mound Road, Ft. Worth, TX 76131). BEP representatives will be
> available to discuss the proposed accommodations for meaningful access and
> to hear public comment. Registration to attend the public forum (at either
> the Washington, DC or Fort Worth, TX facility) must be made by calling
> (877) 874-4114. Because the BEP is a secure Federal installation, all
> attendees must pre-register for the public forum by providing their name
> and are subject to magnetometer inspection and their bags are subject to
> x-ray prior to entering and upon exiting the facility. To ensure your
> access, please notify BEP of your intent to attend by 5 p.m., EDT on June
> 18, 2010.
> Larry R. Felix,
> Director.
> [FR Doc. 2010-12091 Filed 5-19-10; 8:45 am]
> BILLING CODE 4840-01-P
> Endnotes
> \1\ The ACD Steering Committee was established by charter in 1982 to
> recommend designs to the Secretary of the Treasury for Federal Reserve
> notes. The ACD Steering Committee is chaired by the Treasury's Under
> Secretary for Domestic Finance. Its members include the senior
> representatives from the Department of the Treasury, Treasury's Bureau of
> Engraving and Printing, the Federal Reserve System, and the USSS.
> \2\ The Department of the Treasury is not permitted to redesign the $1
> note. The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, Public Law 111- 8, Section
> 111, states that "None of the funds appropriated in this Act or otherwise
> available to the Department of the Treasury or the Bureau of Engraving and
> Printing may be used to redesign the $1 Federal Reserve note." In 
> addition,
> the Court's October 3, 2008 order explicitly excluded the $1 note and the
> soon to be released $100 note.
>
>
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