Vision Australia is urging Parliament to pass the Copyright Amendment (Disability Access and Other Measures) Bill to improve the education, employment and inclusion outcomes for people who are blind or have low vision.
Vision Australia General Manager for Accessible Information Solutions, Michael Simpson advised that passage of the Bill would enable the Marrakesh Treaty to be implemented effectively in Australia.
“Currently, only five per cent of books worldwide are converted into accessible formats. The Treaty allows organisations that represent print disability communities in ratified countries to make accessible copies of works without having to ask permission from the rights-holders. It also permits the cross-border exchange of accessible format books both between organisations and directly from an organisation to an individual,” Mr Simpson said.
The proposed changes will streamline and simplify the existing disability framework in the Act and reinforce the point that converting materials into an alternative format is based on the needs of the individual.
Vision Australia considers the distinction of individuality essential as it allows for materials to be reproduced with greater accessibility than those commercially available which often lack navigation tools.
“The changes will mean we can legitimately reproduce a title into a structured audio file. As an example, this would give a student convenient access to the pages and section headings they actually need to read and learn. They wouldn’t need to read the text book from cover to cover,” Mr Simpson concluded.