CRPD | Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Senate Advancement of Disability Rights Treaty

Washington, D.C. – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ vote to recommend ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to the full Senate:

“Today’s vote sends a signal that the U.S. needs to be a global leader in honoring the dignity of people with disabilities.

The CRPD seeks to ensure that every nation provides people with disabilities the same rights as everyone else to live full, satisfying and productive lives. Our country benefits from a rich history of disability rights legislation,  such as the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. These laws have served as models for nations around the world and provided inspiration for the creation of the CRPD. Yet we still lag behind the global community in ratifying this treaty.

By participating in the CRPD, we are amplifying the message at home and abroad that disability rights are, indeed, human rights. The U.S. pioneered these basic principles under law and demonstrated that persons with disabilities can be full participants in our democracy. We applaud Senators McCain and Barrasso for voting in favor of these principles and encourage their Republican Senate colleagues to join them when the CRPD comes to a vote on the Senate floor.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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