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Maximizing Assistive Technology in Consumers' Hands
| March 24, 2015
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New Currency Reader
| Many members of the Perkins Library will now have a way to identify bills more easily using a new electronic talking currency reader made available through the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
The Perkins Currency reader program is made possible through Perkins' partnership with NLS and the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). The program provides the devices FREE of Charge to individuals who are blind, visually impaired, or have difficulty identifying paper currency visually.
The iBill Talking Banknote identifier is a compact device that announces a note's value in one of three ways: voice, pattern of tones, or pattern of vibrations. Instructions for use are simple: just insert a note into the device and press a button on the side to have the denomination identified. The device operates on a single AAA battery, which is provided.
Registered Perkins Library borrowers (see below) can request a FREE currency reader by contacting Perkins directly at 617-972-7240 or 1-800-852-3133, or email Library@Perkins.org.
This free Currency Reader Program is an interim phase of the U.S. government's Meaningful Access Initiative to make U.S. currency accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. The final objective in the Meaningful Access program is the addition of tactile markings to allow for identification of paper money by touch, which is scheduled to begin in 2018.
The Currency Reader Program Distribution Office will ship the bill reader directly to you via Free Matter postage at your mailing address within 6-8 weeks.
Above is the text of an article that will appear in Dots & Decibels (a Perkins Library publication for blind or visually impaired individuals) in the next couple of weeks.
The Perkins Library will complete the form for Massachusetts residents registered with the Perkins Library. If you or someone you know is interested but from another state, you/they will need to complete the form and submit it directly. The Perkins Library is doing it for Massachusetts borrowers only.
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