RECOMMENDATIONS Article 20 -
That Australia establishes a nationally consistent, adequately funded entitlement program for assistive devices, aids and equipment to enable people with disability, including those in rural and remote areas to participate in all areas of community life.
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That Australia, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and representative organisations, develops mechanisms to establish locally relevant solutions that ensure equipment is suitably robust and repairs and maintenance can be undertaken locally.
STATUS IN AUSTRALIA Policy Framework -
Many people with disability, including children with disability in Australia are unable to enjoy freedom of expression and opinion. (See also article 7) Some of the broad factors that restrict the ability of people with disability to access information and express their opinion include:
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information not being provided in the format or language of choice, or there being a delay or significant cost involved in attaining information in the appropriate format or language;
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insufficient government action to lead private business and mass media to adopt accessible formats and languages; and
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lack of funding, provision or acknowledgement of the need for communication aids and techniques, including augmentative communication aids required by some people with disability to provide their opinions, to access information and to participate in consultations.393
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The National Disability Strategy (NDS) includes a policy direction focused on accessible, reliable and responsive communication and information systems for people with disability. The key measure to address this is the implementation of the National Broadband Network. Implementation is still in the early stages but there are no clear measures included in the NDS to ensure that accessible design and enabling platforms are incorporated.
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By the end of 2012, Australia is required to ensure that its websites meet the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0 at the minimum level of compliance, and to meet the medium level of conformance, or double A by the end of 2014.394 However, there are ‘opt-out’ provisions or exemptions for government agencies if they are unable to conform to WCAG 2.0. Reporting on achievements is required but it is not clear if reports have been provided to Australia at this stage.
Government Information -
Information is typically provided in accessible formats only when the information relates to disability itself. It is not usually made available at all in Australian Sign Language (Auslan) even when this is requested. The vast majority of other information intended for the general public remains in an inaccessible format and language.395 Problems are not simply limited to government policy brochures and information documents, but extend to information given at police stations, hospitals, schools and other support services.396
Case Study
“I was 9 before a grandmother told my mother that we could claim a carer’s pension from Centrelink. I didn’t find out for years that after the age of 16 that I could get a disability pension. Not everyone is an active person in the community to go find out the information. Rotary give funding for vehicle modification but I didn’t find out until I had my car modified. I think it is a procedural concept: ‘this is how we do it, you don’t fit into our box, therefore, go away’ ... Who do you go to, who do you talk to?”397
Case Study
John is blind and cannot access the vast majority of information provided by government departments online. There is no standard format between agencies. John has thrice requested a Western Australian Government department to provide him with the ‘equity benchbook’ in alternative text. He has as yet received no response or acknowledgement of his request.398
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People who are Deaf or have a hearing impairment are not being provided with information in sign language or information that is augmented with written text or equivalent.
Case Study
“Many government announcements, advertisements and information on TV is not captioned so deaf and hearing impaired people like me cannot access them. The most blatant one currently is the information about bushfire safety — surely a fundamental issue that ALL the community [needs] to know about.”399
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Many people with vision or hearing impairment cannot view or listen to government information and videos that are provided on various government websites. Few government websites have content interpreted in Auslan, while only some have audio descriptions or equivalent.400
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Government information in a format that is easy to understand, or in Easy English remains one of the biggest barriers to people with intellectual disability. Printed and written government information is often not in plain English or Easy English and contains complex, jargonistic language. Websites are too complex to navigate or understand.
Case Study
We live with our daughter in the Torres Strait. Our daughter has cerebral palsy and speaks Creole. Very little information is provided in Torres Strait Creole. Many websites have information brochures that can’t be made large enough to see. Almost no information is available in pictorial format (like Boardmaker) for our daughter’s access.
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A study assessing the accessibility of 45 Australian university websites found that 98 percent failed to comply with basic W3C standards of web accessibility.401
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Australia has not taken action to ensure mass media make services and communication technology accessible to people with disability. Beyond the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (DDA), businesses and organisations are not specifically required to make their information and websites available in alternative formats.
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Access to information and consultation processes underpins informed expression of opinion and seeking and imparting information. However, people with disability, including children with disability are too often provided with limited or no opportunity to express their opinion or seek and impart information through participating in government consultation processes.402
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Meetings and consultations are often conducted in inaccessible venues, and without consideration of the participation supports that may be required for participation, such as accessible parking, personal care attendants, guides or Auslan and DeafBlind interpreters.
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People with intellectual disability are not provided with the support necessary to ensure that they understand the consultation process and can properly express their opinions,403 and are not given consultation documents in Easy English or plain English.404
No Official Recognition of Sign Languages -
There is currently no Australian law or policy that recognises Auslan as an official language or ensures that services are provided in Auslan.405
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There is no official recognition of the communication requirements of people who are DeafBlind, including requirements for the provision of DeafBlind interpreters. There are no accredited courses specific to DeafBlind interpreting, and so there is significant variation and proficiency in the interpreting available to people who are DeafBlind.406
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