-
The human rights approach
From the 1970s onwards, there was a shift in the understanding of disability issues from one of welfare to one of rights, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons. -
Disability Discrimination Act
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 was not the first piece of legislation to prohibit disability discrimination, in fact, it was preceded by state and territory anti-discrimination legislation. -
Geoffrey Scott v Telstra Corporation Ltd
Geoff Scott, who is deaf, complained that Telstra indirectly discriminated against him because they had not provided him with a telephone typewriter (TTY) in the same way it provided standard handsets to other customers. -
Garity v Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Sally Garity has a vision impairment and she was not being given equal access to promotional and training opportunities like other workers. She lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission against her employer, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Commissioner Nettlefold found that Sally had been discriminated against and awarded her $153,500 in damages. The Garity decision was significant because it emphasises the importance of reasonable accommodation in disability discriminat -
10 Year Report Card on the Disability Discrimination Act
The Disability Discrimination Act (‘DDA’) turned 10 years old in 2003. Despite the successes of the DDA, there still remains much to be done before we have achieved full participation and equality for people with disability. -
Cinema Access Implementation Plan
In July 2010, the four major cinema chains in Australia (Hoyts, Village, Event/Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle, and Reading) agreed to a Cinema Access Implementation Plan. The Plan which focuses on the introduction of accessible technology into cinemas – primarily the installation of closed captioning and audio description – also established the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG).