In most countries, it is fairly easy for people to tell how many euros or pounds or yen they are holding in their hands. Different denominations can come in different sizes and colors. Some have filaments or other characteristics that make it easy to recognize their value by touch. The all-American "greenback" is an exception, but it should not be.

In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Council of the Blind, a federal appeals court in Washington has ruled, properly, that American currency discriminates against the blind because the bills are too hard to tell apart. The court said that the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which bars discrimination against the disabled, requires that paper currency be made more accessible, though it did not specify precisely how.

For the millions of Americans who have trouble seeing, there are few options. They can choose to depend "on the kindness of others," as the court put it, which may mean interrogating fellow shoppers in the checkout line. There are machines that read currency, but they can cost a lot and some have trouble identifying $20 bills. There also are ways to fold money, creating a pocketful of origami that makes a $5 bill have a different feel from a $20 one. None of this protects visually impaired people from being victimized by petty thieves. The appeals court rightly decided that forcing them to rely on these flawed methods is not acceptable.

The Treasury Department, which can appeal this decision, argued that changes in the size or texture of currency would be expensive. Vending machine operators are concerned about the cost of adapting to different types of bills. Even some advocates for the visually impaired, notably the National Federation of the Blind, argue that money spent on upgrading currency would be better used on things like vocational training.

Despite such criticism, the appeals court is right. No matter how well they can see, everyone using paper dollars should be able to know which bill is which.

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