Court: US discriminates against blind with currency

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) The US government discriminates against blind people because American currency is not designed to be distinguishable to visually impaired people, a federal judge said yesterday.

US District Judge James Robertson said the government needed to figure out a way to design and distribute currency that includes an element to help blind people tell the bills apart.

Robertson was ruling on a lawsuit filed by The American Council of the Blind against the US Treasury Department. The council accused the department of violating the Rehabilitation Act, which was passed by Congress to ensure that people with disabilities can maximize their independence and ''inclusion and integration into society.'' ''It can no longer be successfully argued that a blind person has 'meaningful access' to currency if she cannot accurately identify paper money without assistance,'' Robertson wrote in a 26-page order.

''Of the more than 180 countries that issue paper currency, only the United States prints bills that are identical in size and colour in all their denominations,'' he wrote.

REUTERS AKJ KP1150