Reasonable accommodation in the midst of unreasonably one-sided commentary

I was watching the news tonight and they were covering the story about the court decision to require that currency in the United States be changed to accommodate blind users. There was a discussion of sorts in which able-bodied commentators began to make comments about how much it would cost to make this change. Someone suggested that it might not be reasonable to make this accommodation. (There was another comment made about how it would affect equipment such as ATM machines and how that would add to the cost). The topic was then changed.

The United States is apparently the only country whose currency is the same size and color in all denominations. Despite the fact that concrete suggestions have been made by the blind community as to ways to make currency accessible to the blind, the focus has quickly shifted to the subject of cost, without even breaking down different suggestions .

We have clearly identified the problem and the court has ruled that there is a violation of the law. So I find it interesting that the mainstream news focus is solely on the topic of cost. This is typical, sadly, when the subject of accommodation comes up.

How often do those of us with disabilities hear the phrase "that's too expensive"? Maybe it's a piece of equipment or medical tests that we need. Our insurer doesn't want to pay and we may not have the resources to afford it. I have friends who can't shower in their own homes because their wheelchairs won't fit into their bathrooms. I know people who can't get in and out of their homes because they have no ramp. And, yes, I have blind friends who have been ripped off when using currency because they can't tell the difference between the bills.

Many of us have had to swallow the fact that accommodations are "too expensive". We must start to become more vocal when that reason continues to be used every time accommodation is spoken about. Negotiating ways of making accommodations is possible, but when some people dismiss an accommodation out of hand due to cost without even having a dialogue , that is unreasonable. Giving air time to this one-sided point of view is ableist.

We all know about that American Express commercial where people quote the prices of a baseball game ticket and the cost of a hot dog and end by saying something like time with your child-priceless! The reality is that, for those of us with disabilities, accommodations are priceless because they change a situation where we are dependent into one where we can be independent.

Until we blindfold someone and ask them to do their holiday shopping with a wallet full of currency, it may be difficult for them to justify the cost of changing the currency. I certainly can't make an argument that changing currency for blind users has a cost justification that a capitalist will understand- except to point out that, as we make an inaccessible world more accessible to people with disabilities, we open up a myriad of possibilities for them to be productive.

We also give people a sense of dignity when we accommodate their disability. We provide them with opportunities and choices.

The price of changing currency? The cost of a ramp? If we dismiss such accommodations as unreasonable, we lose out on the priceless reward that inclusion brings.