Knowing your rights: Liberty of movement and nationality (Article: 18)
This article is about the right of all people to choose where they live and to have a nationality. Deaf people and people with disability, in the same way as other people: can have a passport or change their nationality if they want to, can access services and documents to get or change their nationality, such as a passport or other form of identification, are free to leave any country (including their own), and are able to return to their own country if they want to.
Children with disability are to be registered as soon as they are born, just like other children. All children have the right to a name, nationality and, as far as possible, to know and be cared for by their parents.
Knowing your rights: Health (Article: 25)
People with disability have the same right as everyone else to be as healthy as possible, without discrimination because of their disability.
This means the Government must take steps to:
- provide people with disability with the same types of free or affordable public health care as other citizens, including public health programs such as vaccinations;
- provide health services that are relevant to people who are Deaf or have a disability;
- provide health services as close as possible to people’s own communities, including people who live in rural areas - this may involve investigating options such as rural zone nurses and providing some specialist health services via new technologies such as Skype;
- make sure doctors, hospitals and other health professionals give people with disability the same quality of care they give other people, including giving treatment only when the person agrees and understands what they are agreeing to;
- by making sure doctors and other health professionals know about the rights of people with disability and by setting standards for health care;
- banning discrimination on the basis of disability in health or life insurance, which is to be provided in a fair and reasonable way; and
- stopping people from discriminating against people with disability when they are providing health services, food or fluids.
Knowing your rights: Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information (Article: 21)
Freedom of expression and opinion means you have the right to say what you think and share your ideas.
This includes getting public information in other formats (such as sign language) in a timely way and at no extra cost, and the right to share information and ideas.
The Australian Government should promote Deaf inclusion and participation through access to sign language or other types of communication, including new technologies and captioning.
Australia should accept and promote the use of sign language and provide sign language interpreters to people who need them.
Australia should encourage private companies to provide appropriate access, such as interpreters or information in Auslan on the internet and urge companies that work with Deaf people to research new technologies that will benefit people with a disability - such as a video relay service or smartphone applications.
Australia should also encourage the media, and Internet providers to make their services accessible to people with disability, particularly during emergencies or natural disasters.
This video was funded by the Australian Government. © DSS 2014
This video accompanying this text was endorsed by Deaf Australia. Category 1: Auslan signs, Auslan grammar. Deaf Australia Inc website.