FEATURED ARTICLE
Recognising the need for universal design approaches through engagement with the United Nations by Dr Ben Gauntlett Disability Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission
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n Australia 4.4 million people live with disability, each of whom has their own lived experience and unique story. Every person with disability has the right to be treated on an equal basis to other people, to live free from discrimination and to be included in the community. These rights are enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) but are also a dynamic, living part of the experiences of people with disability.
disability. Under the CRPD, universal design is the design of products, environments, programmes and services so that they are usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The concept of universal design does not exclude the use or creation of assistive devices for particular groups of persons with disabilities where this is needed, but seeks to emphasise the importance of inclusive design.
The CRPD is the most recent international human rights treaty entered into by the international community and was ratified by Australia in 2008. It is created with an understanding of people with disability as the holders of rights, which entitle them to be treated with dignity and respect.
A general obligation exists on all parties to the CRPD, like Australia, to “undertake or promote research and development of universally designed goods, services, equipment and facilities, which should require the minimum possible adaptation and the least cost to meet the specific needs of a person with disabilities, to promote their availability and use, and to promote universal design in the development of standards and guidelines”.i The breadth of the obligation
However, the CRPD is also novel in that it recognises the concept of 'universal design' and the importance of universal design to people with
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