Association calls for wider access to alternative formats

Proposed changes to copyright law should go further in making it easier for disabled people to access alternative formats of documents, music, films and photographs, says the British Assistive Technology Association.

 At present, the Intellectual Property Office proposes to relax restrictions on copying to allow anyone to copy materials that they own to any format or device, as long as it is for their personal use.

 “This is terrific news for print-impaired people, because it would mean that they can shift digital material from one format to another at will,” says Ian Litterick, a council member of BATA and chairman of assistive software company iansyst.

 “They could, for example, take a document, scan it and adapt it to large print with blue type on a yellow background, if that is what they find more comfortable to read. Or they could take a PDF file from the web and convert it to an audio file to listen to on their iPhone as they commute to work.

 “This change could be hugely beneficial to people with a reading impairment – not just visually impaired or dyslexic people but also those with mobility problems and general learning difficulties.”

 Up until now disabled people have had to rely on an exception to the Copyright Act, made for visually impaired people. But this exception has not applied, for example, to people with dyslexia, who have been left in many cases to break the law if they want to adapt something so that they can read it.

 However, BATA, which represents leading assistive technology organisations, professionals and users, wants to see the Government go further and allow an individual to copy material not only that they own, but also that they have legal access to.