International access regulation
Media access regulation varies around the world. Media Access Australia has put together a short summary of access regulation in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States for those interested in international regulations.
The United Nations
In 2008, Australia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its Optional Protocol. The UNCRPD is a powerful statement of what Australia and the world believe are the fundamental rights of people who have disabilities, and goes some way towards reducing discrimination.
147 nations have signed the UNCRPD, and 97 have ratified it. Furthermore, 60 nations have ratified the Optional Protocol (including Australia), which gives the UN the power to inquire about a nation’s reported breach of the Convention.
The guiding principles of the UNCRPD are:
- Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy, including the freedom to make one’s own choices and independence of persons
- Non-discrimination
- Full and effective participation and inclusion in society
- Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity
- Equality of opportunity
- Accessibility
- Equality between men and women
- Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities
Nations who have signed and ratified the UNCRPD have committed themselves to reducing disability discrimination. To do so, they must do the following:
- adopt legislation and administrative measures to promote the human rights of persons with disabilities
- adopt legislative and other measures to abolish discrimination
- protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities in all policies and programs
- stop any practice that breaches the rights of persons with disabilities
- ensure that the public sector respects the rights of persons with disabilities
- ensure that the private sector and individuals respect the rights of persons with disabilities
- undertake research and development of accessible goods, services and technology for persons with disabilities and encourage others to undertake such research
- provide accessible information about assistive technology to persons with disabilities
- promote training on the rights of the Convention to professionals and staff who work with persons with disabilities consult with and involve persons with disabilities in developing and implementing legislation and policies and in decision-making processes that concern them
Importantly for access to media, Article 21 (d) of the UNCRPD deals specifically with ensuring people with disabilities have access to media. The Article says that countries must work to reduce disability discrimination by:
‘Encouraging the mass media, including providers of information through the Internet, to make their services accessible to persons with disabilities’.
Because the Commonwealth Government signed and ratified the UNCRPD, it is required to put policies and law in place to make this happen.
