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A ruling handed down by a federal appeals court in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, May 20, confirmed a lower-court decision that the U.S. discriminates against blind individuals by printing money with values that are indistinguishable to the visually impaired.  The decision could force the Treasury Department to redesign its currency, likely using different sizes or raised markings to make it more accessible.

“This is a tremendous victory for the ACB and for every blind and visually impaired person living in the United States today,” said Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind, the plaintiff in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, initially filed in 2002, charged Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson of violating the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by discriminating on the basis of disability.

The government agreed that its currency was difficult to decipher for those with visual impairments, but argued that adaptations such as using credit cards, asking for help from clerks, and folding bills alleviated the burden to blind individuals to the extent that the currency wasn't discriminatory.  It also claimed that the costs associated with changing the currency would be unreasonably excessive.

In a 2-1 decision, the court disagreed, stating that such a position was equivalent to arguing that there's no need to make buildings wheelchair accessible, since individuals with disabilities could easily crawl up steps or ask to be carried by strangers.