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Former US Attorney General Urges US to Ratify International Disability Rights Treaty
By Andrea Shettle, MSW | May 13, 2008
At a recent symposium, former U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh urged the United States to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), The Daily of the University of Washington recently reported in its article entitled Law School Symposium Explores Disability Rights in Asia.
The CRPD is the first international, legally-binding human rights instrument to protect the rights of people with disabilities. Countries that choose to ratify the CRPD must ensure that people with disabilities have access to education; health care services; public transportation; the right to work; information in accessible formats (such as Braille text, or sign language interpreters); the right to sign contracts and own property; and many other rights.
The United States has not yet joined the 129 countries that have signed the CRPD or the 25 countries that have ratified it. (What about your country? Check the list of signatory and ratifying countries at the UN Enable web site.)
Read more about Thornburgh’s comments, and the disability rights symposium at which he spoke, at http://thedaily.washington.edu/2008/4/30/law-school-symposium-explores-disability-rights-as/
Learn more about the CRPD: take five minutes to read the RatifyNow FAQ.
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