App To Help the Blind Distinguish Currency

The Department of Education (DOE) announced the launch of the “IDEAL Currency Identifier,” a free downloadable application (app) to assist people who are blind or visually impaired to identify U.S. currency on some mobile devices.

The IDEAL Currency Identifier was developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology through a grant from the DOE’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). This technology supports the Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) in its mandate to provide increased access to U.S. currency for people who are visually impaired.

“Through our dialogue with the BEP, a special opportunity emerged to fulfill our mission in support of persons who are blind and visually impaired,” said Charlie Lakin, director of NIDRR. “The IDEAL Currency Identifier uses advanced image recognition technology to read a note and in a matter of seconds provides users with an audible response indicating the note’s denomination.”

The app, which interacts with Google’s Eyes-Free applications, can be downloaded for free on more than 1,250 different wireless devices. It is one of several measures the government is developing to assist people with vision impairments to identify currency.

Last year, the BEP introduced EyeNote, a similar currency reading mobile app.

In May 2011, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner approved three measures to provide accessibility to U.S. currency. These measures include implementing a currency reader program, continuing to add large high-contrast numerals and different background colors to redesigned currency and adding a raised tactile feature to currency that is unique to each note.