I think most people with MS would say that all people with disabilities around the world should have the same protections we have in the United States because of laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). And yet our own leaders refused to acknowledge this when the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in December, 2012. Why did that happen? Find out at a couple of events happening this week.
Many groups like the National MS Society were very active in supporting the CRPD. In fact, we helped to generate thousands of messages to our members of Congress, urging their support for the treaty. We'll be trying again this year as it agains comes up for consideration. However, it wasn't enough and we failed by five votes.
To learn more about these efforts, I invite you to participate in two events put on by our disability rights allies:
1) A conference call put on by national disability rights leaders, including U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, to discuss the plan for CRPD ratification. It will be Thursday, May 16 at 12 p.m. PT. To RSVP, click here.
2) An evening lecture at the University of Washington with three leading disability activists to explain the CRPD, examine why the U.S. Senate refused to ratify it, and explore strategies to achieve ratification of the treaty this year. It will be held this Thursday, May 16 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at William Gates Hall at UW Law School. RSVP to Jodi Rose at jodir@dr-wa.org
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