Art.49 Accessible Format

Abstract

This chapter examines Article 49 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The importance of Article 49 CRPD is threefold. Firstly, it facilitates the dissemination of the CRPD by requiring that the Convention be made available in accessible formats. Secondly, this provision has the potential to set a benchmark for the accessibility of the CRPD text, but also of CRPD-related materials, such as CRPD educational materials. Thirdly, the impact of this article has the potential to go beyond the CRPD and in the development of an accessibility standard for all treaties. The chapter explores these issues in more depth. It also discusses the connection between Article 49 CRPD and other provisions of the Convention, including Article 8 (awareness-raising), Article 9 (accessibility), Article 21 (freedom of expression and opinion and access to information), Article 24 (education), Article 29 (participation in political and public life), and Article 33 (national implementation and monitoring).