05.17.2012 – President Barack Obama urged the Senate to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted by the United Nations on in 2006 and signed by the United States in 2009. The Convention is a “human rights instrument” that “clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced.” Of the Convention, President Barak Obama stated, “Anchored in the principles of equality of opportunity, nondiscrimination, respect for dignity and individual autonomy, and inclusion of persons with disabilities, the Convention seeks to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by persons with disabilities.” Ratification of the Convention would allow the United States to become a State Party to the convention, allowing for more influence in the Convention. Currently seven U.S. Senators, including John McCain (R-AZ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tom Harkin (D-IA), John Barrasso (R-WY), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Tom Udall (D-NM), have announced support for the ratification. Senator Tom Harkin stated, “The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities builds on the U.S. experience implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act and promoting equal opportunity and full participation for all people with disabilities in the lives of their communities.”
[Source: The White House, United Nations, U.S. Senator John McCain]
