Australia launches new $5 banknote with 'raised bumps' to help blind people

It has a 'raised bump' on each of the long edges to allow the vision-impaired to identify its value

The new bank note's 'tactile feature' will help vision-impaired people distinguish its value (Reserve Bank of Australia)

A new banknote that will enable blind or visually impaired people to identify its value has been launched.

The A$5 note, launched in Australia, has a "raised bump" on each of the long edges to allow those who cannot see to identify its value.

The new note comes after an Australian mother launched a petition in 2012 to to give her blind son a "chance at independence".

Ally Lancaster, mother of 12-year old Connor McLeod, wrote on the petition: "[Connor] can’t see what note he is holding in his hand or what note someone is passing him as his change.

"I’m asking Joe Hockey and the RBA board members to add tactile markings to the upcoming reprint of our bank notes so that they’re finally equally and independently accessible for all of us."

The petition garnered more than 57,000 signatures and has succeeded in pushing the Reserve Bank of Australia to introduce the new feature.

Connor, who has been blind all his life and helped design the note, said: "The part I played in its design you probably can’t see, but I can feel.

"It has tactile markings on it. I’m so excited to run my fingers over those bumps on the note and mentally count, in my mind, to five as I do it."

The note, which will offer a greater autonomy to an estimated 360,000 blind or visually impaired people in Australia, also has new security features that will help protect against counterfeiting, including a "world-first clear top-to-bottom window".

Key design aspects of the existing bank notes, such as the colour, size and the faces printed on them, will remain the same to help the Australian public recognise the new notes as they come into circulation.

The Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Glenn Stevens, said: "The new bank notes are the culmination of many years of research and trial and extensive consultation with subject-matter experts and the cash-handling industry, as well as qualitative research involving focus groups."

Bruce Maguire, Lead Policy Advisor at non-profit organisation Vision Australia, said: “For the first time in the history of Australian currency it will be possible for someone who is blind or vision-impaired to just pick up a note and know instantly what it is.

"Having to rely on other people or a device to identify bank notes just isn't the kind of independence and participation in community life that leads to dignity, equality and inclusion."

The existing $5 note will be progressively withdrawn from circulation in Australia.

The Bank of England has announced plans for new "polymer" notes which will include a similar feature to enable blind people to distingush values, with the £5 note will be distinguishable by the absence of the feature.

The Bank of England website states a new polymer £5 note will be introduced on 13 September 2016, a new polymer £10 note in summer 2017 and a new polymer £20 note by 2020.