Activists will tomorrow march to the Constitutional Court in a fight to overturn laws that hamper access to books for persons who are blind and visually impaired.
Over 200 activists, from Blind SA, Section27 and partner organisations, will on Thursday march from Pieter Roos Park to the Constitutional Court to fight to #EndTheBookFamine for blind people.
The march will happen as the highest court in the land presides over a case to decide whether or not to confirm a September 2021 High Court order, where the court ordered that the Copyright Act is unconstitutional for the barriers it inflicts on persons who want to convert books into accessible formats like Braille. The bench of the Constitutional Court will hear the case online.
The 1978 Copyright Act does not contain an exception to copyright for persons with disabilities, according to Blind SA and Section27.
“Which means that a person who is blind must secure permission from the copyright holder of any published work in order to convert the text into Braille or another accessible format. This can take a very long time, and many requests are ignored by copyright holders,” Blind SA and Section27 said in a statement.
According to the organisations, this means that only 0,5% of all published works in South Africa are available in accessible formats - a book famine for people who are blind.
The organisations are expected to peacefully march to the Constitutional Court, starting from 9.30am,and picket to show their support for this landmark case.
The march will start at Pieter Roos Park, Parktown, the activists will cross Empire Road and march up Queen Street, and turn right into the Constitution Hill Precinct.
“It’s time to #EndTheBookFamine for persons who are blind or visually impaired - #BrailleIsNoCrime!,” the organisations said.