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    "We see this as a chance for the world to no longer think of people with disabilities as 'the ruin of what has been dreamt' but rather imagine using the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities so that we can, with supports, become our own dreams."

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    • Local Initiatives Project

    Click here for a transcript of the Local Initiatives Project presentation video.

     

    A Guide to Getting Your Local Government to endorse the CRPD

    The Bush Administration announced their decision not to sign the CRPD. In the summer of 2006, a few months before the treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Dec. 3, and about 6 months before the CRPD signing ceremony on March 30, 2007, a concept emerged to build support for US ratification from local governments by asking them to endorse resolutions.  Realizing that the best way to accomplish this is for constituents from localities within the US to urge their own local governments to pass resolutions, grassroots activists/advocates have been working to get resolutions passed on the city and county levels.

    These endorsements will continue to be invaluable in the months to come, as activists throughout the country advocate for ratification of the Convention to both the current and, if necessary, the next administration.

    So far, the following US cities and counties have passed resolutions or proclamations in support of the CRPD:

    Other cities and counties not listed above are in the process of passing resolutions, including San Francisco CA and Albany NY, and still others are in the early stages of the process. 

    What we’re finding is that the more local governments officially endorse the CRPD, the easier it is to get others to follow suit.

    What follows below are the stories of how activists have gotten their own cities/counties to officially endorse the CRPD.  The same general procedures can be followed for any local governing body. I think you’ll find that city and county governments are quite receptive to the idea of passing a resolution supporting the treaty. In some cities, you may find that your local city council is already aware of the US’s failure to sign the treaty, and your request that they pass a resolution will be well received. At any rate, don’t be shy about writing to and following up with your district commissioner or local city council. Remember that as elected officials, part of their job is to respond to issues that their constituents bring to their attention.

    Ratify CRPD Now is here to assist you in these endeavors, and we even have sample letters that you can use to contact your local elected officials. Let us know how we can help.

     

    How Santa Cruz became the First City in the US to Officially Support the CRPD

    by Sylvia Caras

    I live in Santa Cruz, California, population 55,000. I have lived here 25 years. In Sept . 2006, I contacted the city clerk at Santa Cruz’ city hall about timelines and formats for resolutions and declarations.  

    I then drafted a straightforward document based on Santa Cruz census data and the simple language of other resolutions. 
     
    As soon as the Convention was adopted on December 3, I emailed my resolution to the Mayor of Santa Cruz and waited to see if it would be added to the agenda.
     
    In the meantime, Nancy Pelosi was selected as Speaker of the House (Santa Cruz is only 75 miles from her 8th Congressional District), and I was invited to a women’s TV viewing party to watch her accept the gavel.
     
    One of the guests was our mayor who has been a supporter of the local mental health drop-in center and whose son committed suicide, and so she and I have concerns in common. Impulsively, I greeted her with “I sent you an email about a resolution.” “Oh,” she said, “The city service is closed for the holiday; here’s my private email.”
     
    I resent the resolution to her private email and watched the city council agendas. 
     
    At the council’s first January meeting, a newly elected member protested using council time with non-local items. The mayor compromised by scheduling such matters, if pulled from the consent calendar, out of order at the very end of the agenda.   The CRPD resolution was on the very next agenda consent calendar. I expected to have to stay up much later than my in-bed-by-7 routine to defend if the item should be pulled. I discovered that city counsel had reviewed and changed a few words (for the better) and that other council members were listed as supporters. I realized I should have approached each of them in advance. I was grateful the mayor had done that for me, learning that lesson for next time.
     
    I watched the meeting on public television. The item was not pulled from the consent agenda and so it passed and was published a few weeks later. I sent each member a thank you. 
     
    I then announced this success on the AdHoc list, and notified various disability organizations, including Anne Sommers of AAPD who started a page on AAPD’s site dedicated to the CRPD and local resolutions. Anne also sent out a Justice for All notice calling for advocates/activists throughout the country to pursue their own local resolutions. Now that Santa Cruz had set a precedent, and now that there was a local resolution already written for other municipalities to use as a draft, it would prove to be easier for grassroots activists to get their local governments to do the same, without having to meet their mayor in person as I did. 
     
    Michele Magar enthusiastically approached San Francisco, Pam and Joe VanderVeer began to work on Portland, and Ratify CRPD Now was born.  

    I went on to approach other organizational groups where I had standing, and I managed to get the County Board of Supervisors and the World Federation of Mental Health to pass resolutions as well.

     

    How Oregon’s Multnomah County became the second county in the US to Officially Support the CRPD

    by Joe VanderVeer

    Here’s how I, your everyday American disability rights grassroots activist/advocate, went about getting my own Multnomah County, the largest county per capita in Oregon, to officially endorse the CRPD:

    *You can view the video of the testimony here.  Click on "December 6, 2007".  Our part starts at 41 minutes, 30 seconds and goes for 13 minutes.

    Its not close captioned, so here’s the gist of what’s being said: