After an injury in 1971 that left me with a life-long disability, I began advocating for disability rights. My family was advised that I should enter a nursing home where I would receive the specialized care I would need. Upon hearing the doctor’s advice, I took my first step in self-advocacy to make decisions for my life. Having experienced others advising where and how I should live my life because I had a disability made me question if others were also receiving this advice without their input. Since that day, I have advocated for the rights of others with disabilities to make decisions for their lives and to have choices and accessible housing, transportation, education, employment, and recreation. For the past 42 years, I have had the privilege of working with other disability rights leaders in Mississippi and throughout the country, forging the path to remove barriers and change attitudes toward people with disabilities of all ages. In the late 1980s, disability advocates across the country came together for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA recognizes that people with disabilities have rights just like everyone else and brought changes to how and where those with disabilities live and work in America. The CRPD is a framework based on those same values. It is designed to create legislation and policies around the world that are modeled after our Americans with Disabilities Act. It encourages other nations to recognize the value and abilities of people with disabilities; to treat them with dignity and afford them the rights people with disabilities enjoy in the United States. In ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities treaty, the U.S. will join many of our allies in the international fight for rights for all people with disabilities. Contrary to some rumors, the treaty will have no effect on any U.S. laws. Rather, it would export the model the U.S. developed through the ADA to other countries. The treaty has bipartisan support and is widely supported by faith communities, disability advocates, business leaders and veterans’ advocacy groups. Support for CRPD is based on the fact it would open up opportunities abroad for American industry, and it would allow Americans with disabilities to work and travel abroad without fear of discrimination.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 03:01:22 +0000
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