The context for the Accessibility Charter
The Chief Executives of the Disability Forum are committed to ensuring that the public sector is accessible for everyone.
The Accessibility Charter documents the Chief Executives statement of commitment after considering Article 9 – Accessibility of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
Action
The Chief Executive, and Communications and IT managers sign the charter, which endorses their organisation’s commitment to accessibility and mandates staff to work towards an accessible environment.
Resources are available to assist staff to know who to contact and the standards for providing material in various formats. This will be supported by a training programme that can be delivered to all communication and IT staff within your organisation.
For more information contact: accessibility@msd.govt.nz.
Article 9 – Accessibility in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
1. 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 information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, …open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas. These measures, which shall include the identification and elimination of obstacles and barriers to accessibility, shall apply to, inter alia:
b) Information, communications and other services, including electronic services and emergency services.
2. States Parties shall also 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;
c) To provide training for stakeholders on accessibility issues facing persons with disabilities;
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.
