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Article 9 Human Rights
Purpose
Article 9 exists to establish the international legal basis for the right of disabled people to access information, environments, and services on an equal basis with others. In the context of written communication, it generates the obligation to provide alternate formats including Easy Read.
Scope
Article 9 applies to all states that have ratified the UNCRPD. New Zealand ratified the Convention in 2008. Obligations under Article 9 inform domestic accessibility legislation, the New Zealand Accessibility Charter, and the requirement for government agencies to provide alternate formats.
Components
Article 9(1): the right to access, on an equal basis with others, the physical environment, transportation, information and communications technology, and other facilities and services
Article 9(1)(b): the right to access information and communications technologies and systems
Article 9(2)(f): the obligation to promote access to information in accessible formats and technologies appropriate to different kinds of disability
The principle of inclusive design: building accessibility in from the start rather than retrofitting it
Outputs
A legal obligation on signatory states to provide accessible information, which generates demand for alternate formats including Easy Read, and creates the accountability framework within which organisations such as government agencies operate.
Relationships
Article 9 produces Easy Read as a required output type
Article 9 produces Alternate Formats as a category of obligation
Article 9 produces the Accessibility Charter as a domestic implementation mechanism
Article 9 is operationalised by DIY Easy Read
Article 9 is operationalised by AI Powered Translation
The Affordability of Easy Read is a practical constraint on fulfilment of Article 9 obligations
Authority and Intellectual Property
Article 9 is an instrument of the United Nations. No entity holds intellectual property over a human rights treaty. The UNCRPD is administered by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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First published:
17 June 2026 at 12:44:48 pm
Last reviewed:
27 June 2026 at 9:40:29 am