[blindlaw] Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law name change, ABA Commission on Disability Rights

[Nightingale, Noel]

Link:
http://www.americanbar.org/groups/disabilityrights/about_us.html

Text:
Commission Name Change

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

We are proud to announce that the American Bar Association's Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law has changed its name to the Commission on Disability Rights (CDR).

CDR is one of the oldest and storied entities within the Association. Created in 1973 as the Commission on the Mentally Disabled, CDR was the first of what would become the 's group of diversity commissions intended to promote Goal III (Eliminate Bias and Enhance Diversity). From 1973 up until 1991, the Commission on the Mentally Disabled responded to the advocacy needs of persons with mental disabilities. Adapting to social and political change, the CDR changed its name in 1991 to the Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It no longer focused exclusively on individuals with mental health impairments, recognizing that the civil rights movement, as it applied to those with disabilities, encompassed people with sensory and physical impairments.

At our meeting this past fall in [sic], the Commission's members recognized that what's in a name is actually quite important and voted unanimously to change our name. Our new name better reflects the Commission's dual mission: (1) to "promote the [sic] 's commitment to justice and the rule of law for persons with mental, physical, and sensory disabilities and (2) to promote their full and equal participation in the legal profession."

The Commission advocates for the legal rights of persons with disabilities, seeking to eliminate the obstacles created by stigma and prejudice based on stereotypes and to ensure their equal participation and meaningful inclusion in society. Working within its new Committee structure, the CDR will continue to advocate for equal opportunities and equal rights for persons with disabilities to work, be educated, live independently, make their own decisions, have access to governmental services, private businesses, and places of public accommodation, and be free of discrimination, abuse, and neglect. CDR's new programs and initiatives will help ensure that civil rights encompass the rights of persons with disabilities.

Of equal importance, the CDR, in keeping with the 's role as the national representative of the legal profession and its longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion in the profession, is committed to eliminating bias, enhancing diversity, and advancing the full and equal participation of law students and lawyers with disabilities in the profession. Our goal is to make disability a vital component of all diversity programs, events, and activities and to support law firms and other legal employers, state and local bars, and law schools in their diversity and inclusion efforts.

To effectuate change and promote progress, CDR realizes that it will take everyone working together to champion the rights of persons with disabilities. New advances in technology allow our efforts to reach far and wide.  As the Commission moves into its next generation of service, we hope you will join us and be part of our community of advocacy, education, working for and advancing the interests of persons with disabilities.

Sincerely,

Katherine H. O'Neil, Chair
Commission on Disability Rights