Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has commended the Constitutional Court ruling on sections of the Copyright Act being unconstitutional.

Last week, the Constitutional Court declared that sections of the Copyright Act of 1978 is unconstitutional for limiting access to reading materials in accessible formats for persons who are blind or visually impaired, without first securing permission from copyright holders.

Nkoana-Mashabane said the court ruling paves the way for blind and visually impaired people, previously prevented from converting written material to braille or other accessible formats without the permission of copyright holders, to now be able to do so.

“We welcome and applaud the intervention from the highest court in our land. It affirms the rights of persons with disabilities particularly the need to access information,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.

The judgment also defends the rights of persons with disabilities to ensure equality, dignity, basic and further education, freedom of expression, language and participation in social and cultural life.

Source: South African Government News Agency