On July 30, the U.S. became the 141st nation to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an international agreement that, according to the UN News Centre, “asserts the rights to education, health, work, adequate living conditions, freedom of movement, freedom from exploitation and equal recognition before the law for persons with disabilities” (“UN applauds decision of United States to join landmark disability pact,” July 31).
The Centre also explains that countries which sign and ratify the treaty “commit themselves to enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights, as well as abolish discriminatory legislation, customs and practices.”
Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., signed the document with various representatives from the U.S. disabilities community in attendance, including the Chair of the U.S. International Council on Disabilities, the Director of the New York Office for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the NYC Commissioner for People with Disabilities. Also present were Obama’s senior aide Valerie Jarrett and prominent disabilities advocate William Kennedy Smith.
Speaking at the ceremony “amid applause and a smattering of hoots” (“US signs key UN convention for rights of the disabled,” AFP, July 31), Rice called the agreement “the first new human rights convention of the 21st century” and said,
We all still have a great deal more to do at home and abroad. As President Obama has noted, people with disabilities far too often lack the choice to live in communities of their own choosing; their unemployment rate is much higher than those without disabilities; they are much more likely to live in poverty; health care is out of reach for far too many; and too many children with disabilities are denied a world-class education around the world. Discrimination against people with disabilities is not simply unjust; it hinders economic development, limits democracy, and erodes societies.
These challenges will not disappear with the stroke of a pen. Our work is not complete until we have an enduring guarantee of the inherent dignity, worth, and independence of all persons with disabilities worldwide. Let the signing of the Treaty today be an ongoing source of inspiration for us all in our shared struggle to bring old barriers down.
Jarrett also spoke, announcing the creation of a new senior level disability rights position in the State Department, the holder of which “will be charged with developing a comprehensive strategy to promote the rights of persons with disabilities internationally.”
The signing took place at the instruction of President Obama and in the wake of an announcement a week earlier that although he is “proud of the progress we have made [in disability rights],” he is still “not satisfied . . . . As long as we as a people still too easily succumb to casual discrimination or fear of the unfamiliar, we’ve still got more work to do.”
Rice indicated at the U.N. signing that Obama will soon bring the treaty before the Senate for ratification.
