AUSTRALIAN $20 HAS FEATURES FOR VISION-IMPAIRED

The Reserve Bank of Australia has unveiled the new $20 note, which has been specially manufactured to assist vision-impaired Aussies to use the currency.

Launching the note today at Vision Australia in Kooyong, the RBA said three raised bumps on each of the long edges of the banknote will allow people who have low vision or are blind to identify the note amongst other Australian currency.

Other features designed to assist the blind include millimetre-specific sizing compared to other denominations and holographic panels designed to catch light as the note is folded.

Chris Edwards, government relations manager at Vision Australia, said the new note will be most welcomed amongst those who currently struggle with the nation's banknotes.

"These tactile features enable the 350,000 Australians who are blind or have low vision to now accurately and easily identify the cash they are handling, like the rest of the community, and that's how it should be," said Mr Edwards.

"Without the tactile marking, many people who are blind or have low vision relied on a mobile phone app or a small device to measure the size of banknotes, which vary by a few millimetres. These solutions are fiddly, time consuming and impractical.

"We commend the RBA for responding to the needs of people who are blind or have low vision and demonstrating that accessibility is not something that should be put in the too hard basket."

The famous faces on the note will remain the same as the previous edition: on one side is Mary Reibey, a female convict who broke social norms to become a businesswoman, and Reverend John Flynn, who started the world's first aerial medical service in 1928, which is now known as the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

As for fauna and flora, the new note features the Acacia Buxifolia (a species of native Australian wattle) and the Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae).

To read the complete article, see:
New $20 note unveiled with special features to assist vision-impaired Aussies (https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-rba-banknote-20-note-vision-impaired-release-date/3e496e9e-cb8c-459b-a485-3a3a939942b7)

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