[nfb-talk] U.S. Department of Education Announces New App to Identify U.S. Currency to Assist Individuals who are Blind

Mon Oct 15 14:56:48 UTC 2012

For those of us who have not migrated to the I Phone yet, is the LookTell app a Department of Education/Treasury app?

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Sun, 14 Oct 2012 20:07:56 -0700, Mike Freeman wrote:

>The original KNFB Reader (the one that was a PDA) actually read currency
>quite well. But there ain't nothing quite like the LookTel MoneyReader.

>Mike

>-----Original Message-----
>From: nfb-talk [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of qubit
>Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2012 7:22 PM
>To: NFB Talk Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] U.S. Department of Education Announces New App to
>Identify U.S. Currency to Assist Individuals who are Blind

>There's also the IBill and the knfb reader, which has a command for
>identifying currency.
>I think the OCR apps like kurzweil and OpenBook also id currency, but they
>are not mobile.
>   I have the knfb reader, but I have had problems holding the money in the
>right orientation to get a successful scan.
>Happy spending.
>--le
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "christopher nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
>To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2012 7:34 PM
>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] U.S. Department of Education Announces New App to
>Identify U.S. Currency to Assist Individuals who are Blind

>I would be interested to know how this app compares with the currency
>identification apps which are already out there, such as LookTell
>Money Reader and the EyeNote app from the Beareau of Engraving and
>Printing. Has anybody on this list used this Ideal Currency Identifier
>app, and if so, how does it compare with the other currency ID apps?
>Chris

>Sent from my iPhone

>On Oct 12, 2012, at 9:40 AM, Sheri Anderson <sheri.k.anderson at gmail.com>
>wrote:

>> Good morning Fellow Federationists,
>>
>> Just sharing the below information.
>>
>> Warmly,
>> Sheri
>>
>>
>http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-new-
>app-identify-us-currency
>> U.S. Department of Education Announces New App to Identify U.S. Currency
>> U.S. Treasurer Applauds Department of Education's Accessibility Effort
>> October 9, 2012
>>
>> Contact:
>> Timothy Muzzio, Education Department, (202) 245-7458
>> Darlene Anderson, Treasury, (202) 874-2229
>>
>> The U.S. Department of Education announced today the launch of the
>> "IDEAL Currency Identifier," a free downloadable application (app) to
>> assist individuals who are blind or visually impaired to denominate
>> U.S. currency on some mobile devices.
>> The IDEAL Currency Identifier was developed by IDEAL Group, IQ
>> Engines, and the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center
>> (RERC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology through a grant from the
>> Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and
>> Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a component of the Office of Special
>> Education and Rehabilitative Services. NIDRR is the primary U.S.
>> government agency focused on disability and rehabilitation research.
>> Its mission is to generate research knowledge and assistive
>> technologies while promoting their effective use in improving the
>> abilities and opportunities of individuals with disabilities in
>> performing activities of their choice in the community. The initiative
>> supports the Department of Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing
>> (BEP) in its mandate to provide increased access to U.S. currency for
>> persons who are blind and visually impaired.
>> Dr. Charlie Lakin, the Director of NIDRR, issued the following
>> statement: "Through our dialogue with the BEP, a special opportunity
>> emerged to fulfill our mission in support of persons who are blind and
>> visually impaired. The IDEAL Currency Identifier uses advanced image
>> recognition technology to read a note and, in a matter of seconds,
>> provides users with an audible response indicating the note's
>> denomination."
>> Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios applauded the Department of
>> Education's role in the app's development. "Treasury is committed to
>> providing meaningful access to U.S. currency and, by using technology,
>> we can help hundreds of thousands of individuals who are blind or
>> visually impaired. Our collaboration with the Department of Education
>> allowed us to be resourceful and, in turn, more individuals will have
>> the means to independently denominate the U.S. currency they use in
>> daily commerce."
>> The app, which interacts with Google's "Eyes-Free" applications, can
>> be downloaded for free on more than 1,250 different wireless devices.
>> The IDEAL Currency Identifier was developed by Apps4Android, Inc., a
>> subsidiary of IDEAL Group that develops mobile applications.
>> Android-based devices are produced by 48 manufacturers and distributed
>> by 60 wireless service providers in 136 countries.
>> This new app is one of several measures the government is developing
>> to assist people with vision impairments to denominate currency. In
>> April 2011, the BEP introduced EyeNoteR, a similar currency reading
>> mobile app. There have been more than 8,000 free downloads of the
>> EyeNoteR app since its introduction.
>> In May 2011, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner approved three measures
>> to provide accessibility to U.S. currency for those who are blind or
>> visually impaired. These measures include implementing a Currency
>> Reader Program to distribute a currency reader device to blind and
>> visually impaired U.S. citizens; continuing to add large high-contrast
>> numerals and different background colors to redesigned currency the
>> BEP may lawfully change; and adding a raised tactile feature to U.S.
>> currency unique to each U.S. Federal Reserve note that BEP may
>> lawfully change, which would provide users with a means of identifying
>> each denomination via touch. For more information about the IDEAL
>> Currency Identifier and other accessibility apps, please visit
>> www.moneyfactory.gov.
>>
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