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The UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a core international human rights convention (also called a "treaty") addressing the rights of persons with disabilities. It is the first UN human rights treaty ever to comprehensively address the rights of persons with disabilities, and is the fastest ever negotiated treaty of its kind!!!

The U.S. has not yet announced that it will sign the CRPD when they are first able to do so on March 30th. Not signing would be a departure from the United States' historic role as an international leader in the field of disability and human rights and may inadvertently discourage other countries from signing. Other countries, including Mexico, New Zealand, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates, have already announced they will sign on March 30th.

The United States should not miss this opportunity to be counted amongst the first countries to sign as a leader and champion of the rights of persons with disabilities!

ACTION: Call or write:

1. Ollie Cantos, the Associate Director for Domestic Policy at the White House

   Olegario D. Cantos VII, Esq.
   Associate Director for Domestic Policy
   The White House
   Washington, DC 20502
   (202) 456-7330 [Voice/Relay]
   (202) 395-1160; (202) 395-1144 [TTY]
   (202) 456-5557 [Fax]
   ocantos@who.eop.gov [Email]
   
   

2. Your Members of Congress
   (To determine who your Members are, visit: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov)

Ask Ollie and your Members to urge the President to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol on March 30th.

Tell them:

1. The goals, principles, and objectives of the CRPD are entirely consistent with American values and with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
   
   
2. The United States helped to shape the international human rights standards which the CRPD simply reaffirms.
   
   
3. Signing would require the United States to uphold the object and purpose of the treaty nothing more.
   
   
4. By not signing, the United States would be departing from their historic role as an international leader in the field of disability and human rights and may inadvertently discourage other countries from signing.

Tell them how important you feel it is for the United States to join other countries in signing on March 30th.

WHEN: Today until March 30, 2007 Our goal is to have the U.S. sign the convention on the first day they can March 30th.

MORE INFO: Read the text of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

For more information on the background of the CRPD, why it is important, how it was negotiated, and the signature and ratification process, please see the Disabled Peoples' International online Ratification Toolkit website.