On July 26, the 22nd anniversary of the Signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is considering whether to recommend that the Senate ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Now is the time for all advocates to urge each of your two Senators to support the CRPD when it comes before the Senate. While the Foreign Relations Committee is expected to report the CRPD out favorably, clearing it for Senate floor action, some vocal opposition generally rooted in anti-UN, anti-internationalism ideologies has been getting attention. Contact your Senators and tell them that the CRPD is essential to the rights and dignity of all people with disabilities around the world. You can find contact information for your Senators at:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) sets forth the rights and protections that should be afforded to persons with disabilities in all nations. The CRPD embodies the ideals that are the foundation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): equal treatment and non-discrimination in access to justice, health, education, employment, and rehabilitation. Through the ADA, the US has made great progress toward the goals of inclusion, equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for Americans with disabilities.
In many parts of the world, untold millions of children and adults with disabilities are denied education, opportunities to work and other basic rights merely because they are blind or visually impaired or have other disabilities. The United States serves as a beacon in enacting laws and developing practices that promote, protect, fulfill, and ensure the rights of Americans with disabilities. Ratifying this treaty affirms our leadership, enabling the US to fully engage on disability issues in international fora, and ensures that the rights and opportunities for people with disabilities will be secured in the panoply of our international diplomacy.
World flags photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
