Disabled Persons Assembly NZ

DPA is going to make a submission to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) about the Marrakesh Treaty - an agreement that will help remove barriers for those who, because of their disability, find accessing printed material difficult.

If you are in this position please read on and find out how you can provide us with information for our submission.

The Marrakesh Treaty is an international framework to enable the cross border exchange of accessible versions of printed material

The Marrakesh Treaty aims to remove barriers by providing an international legal framework for copyright exceptions to facilitate the cross border exchange of accessible versions of books and other print materials.

New Zealand already has a copyright exception that allows for the creation and dissemination of accessible format copies for people with print disabilities. However it does not facilitate cross-border exchange. This results in costly duplication of efforts to convert works that would otherwise be easy and inexpensive to import and is a significant barrier to accessing published works in accessible formats. This lack of access is a known barrier to full participation in public life, including employment and educational opportunities.

Joining the Marrakesh Treaty would mean New Zealand will get more accessible works

The main benefit of joining the Marrakesh Treaty is that New Zealand will be part of an international regime which facilitates the import of accessible works into New Zealand. It is expected that the Treaty will lead to more timely access to a greater variety of accessible format copies for people with a print disability. It is also expected to lead to more efficient use of resources by schools, libraries and charitable organisations that serve people with print disabilities.  

How to feed your experiences into DPA’s submission

To feed into DPA’s submission process please read the discussion document to understand the issues and if you are someone who finds it hard to access print, please answer this list of questions and send your answers to paula.booth@dpa.org.nz We need your information by 15 February.