Landmark treaty to end book famine 24 June 2014 Vision Australia Vision Australia congratulates the Australian Government for signing the Marrakesh Treaty, and urges them to ratify as a matter of priority to help bring a world of books to people with print disabilities. Currently, while over 350,000 Australians are blind or have low vision, only 5% of books in Australia are ever converted into readily accessible formats, such as braille, large print or audio. The treaty will allow organisations to share books directly with individuals who are blind or have other print disabilities, as well as enable the international exchange of books between relevant organisations and prevent the need to duplicate production in different countries. This will mean that people who are blind or have low vision throughout the world will have a significantly expanded choice of books to read. According to Maryanne Diamond AO, General Manager Advocacy and Engagement at Vision Australia, Australia is in a position to make history by being one of the first countries in the world to ratify the treaty. “Having led the World Blind Union delegation at the World Intellectual Property Organisation for five years, and being blind myself, I know what a significant milestone the treaty is,” said Ms Diamond. “It is almost 12 months since it was adopted, and by signing today, Australia has taken another step forward for the the inclusion of people who are blind or have low vision in society.” The Marrakesh Treaty, formally the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities, is the first treaty of its kind to benefit the public interest rather than the interest of rights holders. “Access to information is a human right. Information is what we use to make decisions and choices in life. The lack of information in formats people who are blind or have low vision has put them at a huge disadvantage with peers. Ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty comes at no cost to the taxpayer but delivers an important benefit to a large number of Australians,” says Ms Diamond. The treaty will come into force three months after 20 states have ratified. visionaustralia.org/about-us/news-and-media/latest-news/news/2014/06/24/landmark-treaty-to-end-book-famine
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 06:53:03 +0000
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