U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

May 2014 – The Conference of States Parties will hold its 7^th session on June 12, 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The session discussions will include the following topics: “Incorporating the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provisions into the post-2015 development agenda; Youth with disabilities; and National implementation and monitoring.” The conference will cover committee membership elections, debates and topic specific roundtables.  The deadline for CSOs to register online for the convention is May 30^th.

February 2014 — The Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communications Technology (G3ICT) and Disabled Persons International have released the third edition of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ICT Accessibility Progress Report. The latest version of the report highlights that digital accessibility is expanding beyond “greater use of technologies by persons with disabilities” to focus on incorporating accessibility within ICT-based policies and practices.

December 4, 2012— The Senate vote of 61-38 on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was five votes short of the required two-thirds majority.  Senators that oppose the treaty, such as Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), argue that it could “infringe on U.S. sovereignty” and inhibit parents from homeschooling their children with disabilities. Supporters of the treaty, including Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kansas), argue that ratification of the treaty would not change U.S.