OTTAWA - Call it the case of the disappearing dots.
Canada's paper currency is gradually losing the tiny bumps placed in the upper right corner of modern bills that have helped the blind know what denomination they have in hand. The raised dots are not braille but are arranged in patterns that a blind person can feel to quickly identify a denomination, from $5 to $100.
The dots were added to the so-called Canadian Journey series of bank notes, introduced in 2001 after extensive consultations with groups representing the visually impaired.
The dots were specially treated to ensure they endured, but they've been flattening out with use and have become unreadable.
"They developed a new sort of polymer hoping that it would hold up after regular use," said Cathy Moore, spokeswoman for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, which worked closely with the bank on the project.
"But you fold it up, you put it in your pocket, you know how bills get old. ... It rubs off - so that did not work. The raised markings don't stay raised."
The Canadian Journey series has other special features to help those with poor vision - larger numbers, contrasting colours - but the blind have no other option except a device that reads the bill and indicates its denomination by tone, vibration or even voice.
The device is provided free of charge by the Bank of Canada under a program that costs more than $250,000 a year.
"It's not the best solution," said Moore, "because it's a little thing you have to carry in your pocket.
"And it reads out loud so you feel a little bit of a goof in a store with your reader saying '20', '20'."
The central bank did consider producing bills of differing sizes, as some countries do, but rejected the option as too costly, she said.
A spokeswoman for the Bank of Canada said officials are working on the problem for the next series of notes, which are being revamped to stay one step ahead of counterfeiters.
"The tactility features on our notes have generally been well received by the blind and visually impaired community," Monica Lamoureux said in an e-mail.
"There are, however, improvements to be made, and the bank will be looking at the accessibility features in the design process for the next series of notes which the bank plans to issue beginning in 2011."
Canada's efforts to accommodate the visually impaired are far advanced over the United States.
A U.S. appeals court ruled Tuesday that the American government discriminates against the blind because the country's paper currency - of uniform size and colour - has no tactile features to help them determine the value of each note.
The government was taken to court by the American Council for the Blind, which is hoping the ruling will force a reluctant Treasury Department to redesign the currency.
"It's a whole different scenario in Canada," said Moore, the CNIB's national director of consumer and government relations.
"The Bank of Canada has made a really concerted effort in the last 10 years to ensure their currency is accessible. And they've made enormous improvements."
