A coalition of disability, women’s, and civil rights organizations will rally in Washington, DC to highlight the ongoing fight for accessible and inclusive currency for all
On March 10th – Harriet Tubman Day – the American Council of the Blind (ACB) will rally in front of the White House with one clear demand: we need accessible and inclusive currency now! Rally attendees will march to the US Treasury’s door, equipped with accessible bills from countries around the world, to call on the US Treasury and Biden Administration to show us the money and put us on a course to accessible and inclusive currency for all.
The US Treasury is currently redesigning the $20 bill to include a portrait of Harriet Tubman, and a 2008 Federal Court Order says that any new currency redesigns must include accommodations to individuals who are blind or low vision. The Administration is hoping to sneak through the redesign without making the bills accessible – they’re hoping we won’t notice or put up a fight.
“Almost 15 years after the 2008 Federal Court mandate, the US Treasury is still dragging its feet to produce a currency redesign with accessibility features,” said Eric Bridges, ACB Executive Director. “The Administration and US Treasury must take action to provide accessible currency for people who are blind and low vision. People with vision loss deserve meaningful access to US currency.”
Nearly five decades of broken promises to the blind and low vision community has left the United States an outlier in the developed world. The currency of the United States is the only major currency that is inaccessible to those with disabilities. Over a hundred countries in the world have implemented accessible features for people who are blind or low vision.
“It is vital that the $20 redesign is accessible for people with vision loss,” said ACB President, Dan Spoone. “To have the new $20 bill include Harriet Tubman as the first person of color on US paper currency and incorporate accessibility features for people with visual disabilities is an extraordinary opportunity for the United States to express its commitment to the equality of all people.”
It’s time for the Biden Administration to finish the job and commit to currency that's both accessible and inclusive.
Since 1961 the American Council of the Blind has been working to increase the independence, security, equality of opportunity, and to improve the quality of life of all individuals who are blind or experiencing vision loss.
WHAT: Show Me the Money: Marching Together for Accessible and Inclusive Currency
WHEN: Friday, March 10, 2023 at 1:30pm ET in Lafayette Square
WHO: American Council of the Blind