Canadian currency tactile feature

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 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, and designed by Dr. Susan Lederman, a professor of psychology at Queen's University.[1] [2]

Close-up of the feature on the Canadian Journey Series $20 bill.

This chart illustrates how the Braille cells are arranged.

Although similar in appearance to Braille, 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: ⟨⠿⠀⠀⠿⟩.[2][3]

A very similar system of tactile raised dots is now being implemented in a new series of notes for the Costa Rican colón.

The U.S. Treasury has announced that the new $10 note will also have a tactile feature.[4]