Introduction
Is it possible to reconcile disability discrimination law with copyright law?
For people with a print disability, the law and policy in Scotland, and the UK more generally can appear, like the Roman God Janus, to face in two opposite directions at the same time.
Disability discrimination is against the law. Many disabled people can’t read ordinary text. They need it in an alternative format. Technology can make that happen. But copyright law is there to protect the livelihoods of authors and publishers. Authors and publishers rightly feel decidedly twitchy about letting all and sundry have access to their investment.
Here we provide a little more detail on law and policy on disability discrimination and copyright, with a particular focus on what this means for schools in Scotland. Why is it that the law seems to make it difficult for a disabled pupil to access a book, worksheet or other in a format that suits their needs, at the same time as their classmates?
Print disability
In Scotland people with a print disability are those who cannot obtain access to information in a print format because they:
- are blind or vision impaired;
- have physical disabilities which limit their ability to hold or manipulate information in a printed form;
- have perceptual or other disabilities which limit their ability to follow a line of print or which affect their concentration;
- cannot comprehend information in a print format due to insufficient literacy or language skills (Witcher, S. (2006) Report of the Disability Working Group. Scottish Executive. ISBN: 0-7559-5141- 7).
