ACCC committed to providing equitable access to services
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today announced a range of initiatives to assist consumers with disabilities to access ACCC services.
"In recognition of the importance of communicating information in a manner that ensures access to all Australians, the ACCC's consumer guide Know how to complain: stand up for your consumer rights is now available in large print, audio and Braille versions.
"This initiative will help to ensure that people with print disabilities are able to protect themselves in the marketplace," ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, said today.
"The guide sets out the main rights and protections that consumers have under the Trade Practices Act 1974 and the steps consumers can take to enforce their consumer rights. It also explains what the ACCC can and cannot do for consumers and other agencies that can also assist in resolving a complaint.
"The ACCC will also provide access to people with hearing or speech impairments by using the National Relay Service (NRS). This will allow people with hearing and speech impairments to contact the ACCC."
The ACCC will provide three main access points for users through the NRS and will include details for access to each of these services in all published material, including online content. These are:
a phone number for people who are deaf or hearing/speech impaired (and use text-based communication),
a second phone number for those who have a speech impairment (but can still use their own voice and can hear),
an internet relay service.
"These initiatives will ensure that people with disabilities have equitable and effective access to ACCC services," Mr Samuel said. Large print and audio versions of the Know how to complain guide can be downloaded free of charge from the ACCC website or by calling the ACCC Infocentre on 1300 302 502. A free copy of the Braille version of the guide is also available by contacting the ACCC Infocentre.
Users who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment can phone the ACCC through the National Relay Service:
TTY users phone 133 677 then ask for 1300 302 502
Speak and Listen users phone 1300 555 727 and ask for 1300 302 502
Internet relay users connect to the NRS (see www.relayservice.com.au) and ask for 1300 302 502.
More than 3.5 million adult Australians experience a print disability and have difficulty accessing standard print based information. Causes of print disability include; vision impairment, physical dexterity problems such as multiple sclerosis or arthritis, learning disabilities and literacy difficulties.
In the 2003 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC), hearing disabilities are defined through various degrees of deafness. At the time, the ABS reported over 13 per cent of Australians with a hearing disability and three per cent with speech impairments.
The ACCC recently published Know how to complain in Somali and Amharic (Ethiopian) languages and will soon release Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic versions. This continuing translation project will help to ensure that this information is also available to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who may not have high levels of English proficiency.
