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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has developed some guidance about the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) for consumers with disability. Four educational resources for consumers with disability and the businesses supplying them are now available, they include:

  • An Easy English guide that explains consumer rights clearly, including numerous pictures. This guide is suitable for consumers with an intellectual disability.
  • A consumer guide for consumers with disability, support networks and carers. This is a more detailed guide and uses examples that are relevant to consumers with disability
  • A two page fact sheet that gives a brief overview of consumer rights for consumers with disability.
  • An industry guide targeted at businesses supplying goods or services to consumers with disability

Copies of the three guides are available on the ACCC website and printed copies can be ordered from the website. You can read the industry guide there also.

The three consumer guides have also been printed in Braille (limited numbers). Please contact us if you would like any Braille copies of the guides.

The website also contains translations of the Easy English guide into eight languages:

  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • Greek
  • Arabic
  • Hindi
  • Vietnamese
  • Chinese
  • Tagalog/Filipino.

 

Background

These educational resources have been developed by the ACCC and state/territory fair trading bodies (ACL regulators)  to educate participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and consumers with disability more generally, about their consumer rights. The resources are designed to cater to different levels of comprehension and literacy and to empower consumers with disability to understand and exercise their consumer rights, whatever they are buying. These materials are based on extensive consultation with government bodies and disability support and representative organisations.

ACL regulators will be engaging with consumers and industry over the coming months. We are also developing two educational videos for consumers with disability. We anticipate that these videos will be released in November 2016.