FORWARDED MAIL FROM A NON-MEMBER

From: Brian Buhrow (buhrow@lothlorien.nfbcal.org)
Date: Thu Sep 05 1996 - 23:19:40 PDT


        Please give this guy a CC if you know something about
electronic money readers. I'd like to see answers on the list as well.
-Brian

Hi,

My name is Tim Noonan and I am conducting research into the current
options for electronic identification of currency bank note denominations
for people who are blind or vision impaired in Australia.

I am conducting this research on behalf of the National Federation of
Blind Citizens of Australia, the peak consumer and advocacy body for
people who are blind or vision impaired in this country.

I'd like to hear from anyone with information about electronic devices
for identifying bank notes, particularly devices designed to
differentiate bank notes for people who are blind or vision impaired. I
am also interested in different approaches which can be used to identify
bank notes, any papers on the subject as well as policies and approaches
of various countries relating to reliable bank note identification by
blind and vision impaired people.

In Australia we now have new polymer notes, which are replacing the
paper-based currency we used to use in this country. One of the major
difficulties with these plastic notes is that they are difficult to
uniquely fold such that they can be identified by shape etc. this is
because the new plastic notes are highly resistant to creasing.

I have heard of two devices designed for use by blind or vision impaired
people - one for Canadian currency and one for U.S. currency.

If you have any comments on either of these devices (positive and
otherwise) please let me hear them!

If you have experience with other devices of this kind, please let me
know your experiences with these too.

I'd like to emphasize that although this work is investigating technical
approaches to bank note identification, it is also examining whether
such technologies are feasible, affordable or practical in the
Australian context.

With thanks for any information or observations you may be able to
provide on this topic

Tim Noonan trading as SoftSpeak Computer Services



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