Compliance

Adopted in 2006, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified by 182 countries around the world.

The Convention follows decades of work by the United Nations to change attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities. It takes to a new height the movement from viewing persons with disabilities as “objects” of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing persons with disabilities as “subjects” with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent as well as being active members of society.

The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension. It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It
clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and
identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced.

The purpose of the present Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. (From:  https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/convention-on-the-rightsof-
persons-with-disabilities-2.html)

Article 9 of the Convention – Accessibility states the following: “…To enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas.”

The convention invites the ratified parties to take appropriate measures:

a) To develop, promulgate and monitor the implementation of minimum standards and guidelines for the accessibility of facilities and services open or provided to the public;

b) To ensure that private entities that offer facilities and services which are open or provided to the public take into account all aspects of accessibility for persons with disabilities;

c) To provide training for stakeholders on accessibility issues facing persons with disabilities;

d) To provide in buildings and other facilities open to the public signage in Braille and in easy to read and understand forms;

e) To provide forms of live assistance and intermediaries, including guides, readers and professional sign language interpreters, to facilitate accessibility to buildings and other facilities open to the public;

f) To promote other appropriate forms of assistance and support to persons with disabilities to ensure their access to information;

g) To promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet;

h) To promote the design, development, production and distribution of accessible information and communications technologies and systems at an early stage, so that these technologies and systems become accessible at minimum cost.

For more information about the ratified participants, visit the United Nations Treaty Collection.

1. A hearing augmentation system must be provided where an inbuilt amplification system, other than one used only for emergency warning, is installed—

a) in a room in a Class 9b building; or

b)in an auditorium, conference room, meeting room or room for judicatory purposes; or

c)at any ticket office, teller’s booth, reception area or the like, where the public is screened from the service provider.

2. If a hearing augmentation system required by (1) is—

a)an induction loop, it must be provided to not less than 80% of the floor area of the room or space served by the inbuilt amplification system; or

b)a system requiring the use of receivers or the like, it must be available to not less than 95% of the floor area of the room or space served by the inbuilt amplification system, and the number of receivers provided must not be less than—

      i.)if the room or space accommodates up to 500 persons, 1 receiver for every 25 persons or part thereof, or 2 receivers, whichever is the greater; and

      ii.) if the room or space accommodates more than 500 persons but not more than 1000 persons, 20 receivers plus 1 receiver for every 33 persons or part thereof in excess of 500 persons; and

     iii.) if the room or space accommodates more than 1000 persons but not more than 2000 persons, 35 receivers plus 1 receiver for every 50 persons or part thereof in excess of 1000 persons; and

iv.)if the room or space accommodates more than 2000 persons, 55 receivers plus 1 receiver for every 100 persons or part thereof in excess of 2000 persons.

3. The number of persons accommodated in the room or space served by an inbuilt amplification system must be calculated according to D2D18.

4. Any screen or scoreboard associated with a Class 9b building and capable of displaying public announcements must be capable of supplementing any public address system, other than a public address system used for emergency warning purposes only.