Knowing your rights: Access and Independence (Article: 9,19)
People with disability have the right to live independently and take part in all aspects of life.
To let them do that, Australia needs to facilitate access for people with a disability to things, places, transport, information, events and services that are open to the public.
To do that, countries should: find out what the access issues are and take steps to resolve them.
This could be physical access requirements, such as lifts or ramps, or interpreters and subtitles for Deaf people.
Public facilities like schools should include interpreters, note takers and trained teachers of the Deaf. Houses may need flashing lights and alarms. Hospitals, clinics and workplaces may need to include interpreters, either in person or via new technology such as Skype, to ensure full participation in activities.
People with disability should have equal access to information and other services. This may mean accessing new technologies, or providing information in Auslan – like this video.
In emergency situations, Deaf people should have access to emergency services via alternative technologies like SMS, smartphone applications or the internet.
Australia has a responsibility to:
- set standards and guidelines for access to facilities and services that are open to the public;
- make sure that private businesses that provide facilities or services to the public take into account access for people with disability;
- provide training for people involved with access for people with disability - such as raising awareness about using interpreters or providing appropriate signage;
- promote access for people with disability to new information and communications technologies and systems, like the Internet; and
- have those who make information and communications technologies take into account access for people with disability, so that they can be available at a low cost.
It is also important for Australia to make sure people with a disability have the opportunity to choose where they live and who they live with. If a person with a disability chooses to live in shared accommodation or a nursing home, they are still entitled to make decisions about how they live. Community services, groups and facilities should encourage equal access and take into account the needs of people with disability.
Knowing your rights: Personal mobility (Article: 20)
Australia must try to make sure that people with disability are given the opportunity to move around in the way they want and be as independent as possible.
Some ways to do this include:
- helping people with disability access mobility aids, technologies that suit them, and people to help them, at a price they can afford;
- providing training in mobility skills to people with disability and those working with them; and
- encouraging the people who make mobility aids and technologies to take into account all aspects of mobility. Knowing your rights:
Respect for privacy (Article: 22)
The private lives of people with disability are not to be interfered with for no reason or in a way that is against the law. The law should protect people with disability from such interference to their privacy or attacks on their honour or reputation.
Countries are to protect people’s personal information about their health and rehabilitation and keep it private.
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.