Following is a joint statement in support of the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559):
We commend Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker (R-TN), Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) for their March 15 introduction of the bipartisan Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559) to ratify and implement the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled (“Marrakesh Treaty”).
We urge Congress to act swiftly to pass S. 2559. It is time for blind and otherwise print-disabled individuals, at U.S. colleges and universities, to enjoy the same access to printed works as other Americans.
Our colleges and universities – among the nation’s leading producers and consumers of copyrighted works – are committed to providing equitable access to information. But students, faculty, and staff who have print disabilities encounter significant, daily challenges in accessing required course materials and essential scholarly resources. The university disability services offices that serve these communities struggle to locate or create accessible-format materials in a timely manner. The National Federation of the Blind estimates, for example, that no more than 5 percent of published works are created in an accessible format.
The Marrakesh Treaty offers a fair and transparent way to remedy the disadvantages that Americans with print disabilities confront when seeking to lawfully access the world’s printed materials.
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