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The Canadian currency tactile feature is a feature on the ''Canadian Journey'' and ''Frontier'' series of Canadian banknotes to aid people who are
visually impaired Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...
to identify the notes. The feature indicates the banknote denomination in the upper left corner of the face side of the bill using a series of raised dots. It was suggested by Bruno Thériault, an administrator for the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind The CNIB Foundation (french: Fondation INCA) is a volunteer agency and charitable organization dedicated to assisting Canadians who are blind or living with vision loss, and to provide information about vision health for all Canadians. Founded ...
, and designed by Susan Lederman, a professor of
psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...
at Queen's University. Although similar in appearance to
braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displ ...
, it differs because standard Braille was deemed too sensitive. The currency denomination must be recognized easily, thus the banknotes use full braille blocks (or cells) of 6 dots, . The $5 bill has one cell, with the $10, $20, and $50 denominations each having one more cell than previous. The $100 bill has two cells arranged such that there is a space of two empty cells between them: . A very similar system of tactile raised dots is now being implemented in a new series of notes for the
Costa Rican colón The colón (plural: ''colones''; sign: ₡; code: CRC) is the currency of Costa Rica. It was named after Christopher Columbus, known as ''Cristóbal Colón'' in Spanish. A colón is divided into one hundred céntimos. Symbol The symbol fo ...
. The U.S. Treasury has announced that the new $10 note will also have a tactile feature.


Notes

The tactile feature consists of symbols of six raised dots (two columns of three) separated by a smooth surface. The number and position of these six-dot symbols vary according to the denomination: * $5 bill: one six-dot symbol * $10 bill: two six-dot symbols * $20 bill: three six-dot symbols * $50 bill: four six-dot symbols * $100 bill: two symbols separated by a smooth surface that is wider than that on the $10 note


See also

*
Somatosensory system In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...


References


External links


Making Bank Notes Accessible for Canadians Living with Blindness or Low Vision – Bank of Canada
{{Braille Currencies of Canada Tactile alphabets Assistive technology