COAT advocates for accessibility and usability of technology for people with disabilities. Enacting the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (21st CVAA) was a huge step forward and we are working to implement this new law. COAT’s overall aim is to ensure accessibility, usability, and affordability of all broadband, wireless, and Internet technologies for people with disabilities.
COAT Leader Represents Blind in Geneva On Reading Rights Treaty for Print Disabled People
COAT leader Eric Bridges of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) was in Geneva, Switzerland recently for yet another meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)’s “Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights” (or SCCR/20), held June 21-24, 2010. The group's intent is to ensure more and more print materials are made available to people who are blind. Currently, less than 10% of the world’s books are accessible to people with print disabilities. On the agenda for this standing committee meeting was looking at ‘Limitations and Exceptions,’ as well ‘Practices and Other Measures for the Benefit of Persons with Print Disabilities.’ Discussion focused on the protection of broadcasting organizations and protection of audiovisual performances and how limitations would be executed. Unfortunately, agreement on the treaty has not yet been reached as members from African nations propose to also extend treaty obligations to libraries and archive centers. Discussions are sure to continue. Read Draft conclusions from the SCCR/20 meeting.
Driving these meetings is a proposed “Treaty for the Visually Impaired,” on copyright and related matters as proposed by the World Blindness Union (WBU). The WBU treaty proposal would permit accessible format of copyrighted works to be made without the authorization of the copyright owner, and to supply that accessible format to a visually impaired person by any means. This would only be the case for non-profit purposes. Users would be able to copy the work for personal use.
Kareem Dale, Special Advisor on Disability Policy to the President, also attendee the meeting. Numerous other blindness groups are involved with this effort such as the European Blind Union (EBU), Kenya Union for the Blind (KUB), National Federation of the Blind (NFB), Nigeria Association of the Blind (NAB), Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABP), Organismo Mexicano Promotor del Desarrollo Integral de los Discapacitados Visuales Organización (Discapacitados Visuales IAP), Perkins School for the Blind (PSB), Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), and Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), among others.
For more info about WIPO’s VisionIP, visit their website.
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