The release of the new $5 banknote – which for the first time in Australian currency history includes a tactile feature – is considered a significant win for the blindness and low vision community, as it will support people to independently and accurately identify the cash they are handling.
Vision Australia Lead Policy Advisor, Mr Bruce Maguire said the tactile feature will assist over 350,000 Australians who are blind or have low vision to use banknotes with the same level of confidence as the rest of the community.
“Even though we are moving to a cashless society, there are still many purchasing situations where people want to use cash. The tactile feature allows people like me, who are blind, to pay with and receive cash without the assistance of others or a device,” Mr Maguire said.
“Vision Australia commends the Reserve Bank of Australia on this inclusive outcome and we look forward to continuing to work with the Bank in the years ahead, as other denominations are released with the tactile feature.”
Research conducted by Vision Australia has found that 61 per cent of people who are totally blind, have trouble differentiating between the banknote denominations and nearly half of these people do not receive the right change on occasion. 93 per cent of people who are blind or have low vision advised they would welcome a tactile feature on Australian banknotes.
Vision Australia, along with other organisations representing the blindness and low vision community, advocated to the Reserve Bank of Australia to go that extra step to ensure the blindness and low vision community had equal access to banknotes.
As part of ongoing advocacy efforts, Vision Australia joined Connor McLeod’s discrimination complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission. Connor, now aged 15, started a change.org petition calling for action on accessibility features on currency and collected more than 56,000 supporters.
“The Bank has consulted extensively with the vision-impaired community to improve the accessibility of Australia’s banknotes. We are pleased that this work has culminated with the introduction of a tactile feature on the new banknotes making the Australia’s banknotes among the most accessible in the world,” Reserve Bank of Australia Head of Note Issue Department, Michael Andersen stated.
Vision Australia advised that although the new tactile feature on banknotes and the recent introduction of accessible ATMs are major steps forward in improving the accessibility of the banking sector, new challenges continue to arise.
“The banking industry is focused on ‘smart banking’ through mobile apps, touch screens on ATM’s and other merchant devices. Unfortunately, many of these devices are not accessible to people who are blind or have low vision,” confirmed Mr Maguire.
“Unless technology is made accessible, those of us who are blind or have low vision will be locked out of participating in everyday activities that involve financial transactions.”
Vision Australia advised it would continue to advocate and work with the banking sector to ensure services are inclusive for the blindness and low vision community.
Media contact: Vanessa Sandhu, Communications Advisor, Vision Australia, 0418 937 327.