Youth for International Equality: Support the Disability Treaty!

A recent poll of the disability community shows that young people really care about politicians’ records on disability-related issues and are willing to act accordingly. This is different from what we hear in the media that young people today aren’t politically active or concerned with current events.  We care about our rights; we want to make a difference and now is our chance.

We, as young Americans who care about the rights of people with disabilities, want ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD/Disability Treaty)!

What is the CRPD/Disability Treaty?

A Convention is an agreement among countries to follow the same rules around an issue and can help shape how each country’s government legislates around that issue. CRPD is an agreement by all countries that ratify it to ensure that people with disabilities receive equal treatment. The language of the the Disability Treaty was inspired by that of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which protects the rights of 57 million Americans every day.  

What’s happening with CRPD/Disability Treaty now?

The United States has signed the Disability Treaty but requires a 2/3 vote in the Senate in order to ratify it.  Last December, the U.S. was 5 votes short of achieving ratification, but we’re not giving up. We are rallying our Senators for a hearing and for their support when it is time to vote. 

What will ratification mean for you?

Ratifying the treaty would not require any changes to U.S. law nor cost any money. What it does mean is that our government and advocacy organizations will have a seat at the table in discussing global disability rights. It means that when people with disabilities choose to live, study, or travel abroad they will in the future have similar rights abroad as in the United States. Students with disabilities represent less than 4% of students that go abroad. Together, we can begin to change these numbers and share the values of independence, accessibility, and inclusion with young people with disabilities all across the globe. 

Sounds great! What can I do?

Sign on to the petition below 

Dear U.S. Senators:

I, as a young American, support the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD/Disability Treaty). I urge you to show your support for 57 million Americans and over one billion people with disabilities worldwide by voting YES to ratification at the next opportunity. CRPD ratification assures that people with disabilities throughout the world will enjoy the same rights as we do in the United States. Vote YES for ratification!

What’s next?

• Share this message with all your friends. You can use #DisabilityTreaty, #ISupportCRPD, and #CRPD to share on Twitter and connect to the US International Council on Disabilities and Ratify CRPD Facebook pages. Check out some of the sample tweets below:

#ISupportCRPD I signed this petition http://bit.ly/19IskeS to show youth support #CRPD ratification now! Spread the word!   

@SenatorTwitterHandle #ISupportCRPD and so do young people across America! Vote YES for #DisabilityTreaty ratification http://bit.ly/19IskeS

• Connect with others and Contact your Senator to urge for ratification. Let them know why ratification is important to you, your friends, and your community.  You can even tweet to U.S. Foreign Relations Committee Chairman @SenatorMenendez and Ranking Member @SenBobCorker. Finally, be sure to check out http://disabilitytreaty.org for upcoming actions you can take!

SIGN | SHARE | CONNECT