[Nfbf-l] Statement by the Press Secretary on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

[Alan Dicey]

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Convention on the Rights of Persons 
with Disabilities
We are disappointed that the overwhelming majority of Senate Republicans 
today blocked the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 
which would enshrine American standards that have been developed through 
decades of bipartisan cooperation. Ratification would require no changes to 
U.S. law, as the United States already leads the world in promoting and 
protecting the rights of persons with disabilities. However, it would 
position the United States to support extending across the globe the rights 
that Americans already enjoy at home. This in turn would improve the lives 
of Americans with disabilities -- including our wounded service members --  
who wish to live, work, and travel abroad. It would also allow our 
businesses to operate on a more level playing field and reaffirm American 
leadership on disability rights. For these reasons, and others, Democrats 
and Republicans in the Senate and across the country -- as well as 
disability advocacy groups, wounded warriors, veterans groups and business 
groups -- have supported this treaty. We commend former Senator Dole and the 
bipartisan coalition of Senators who worked to secure the treaty 
resolution's passage, including Senators Reid, Kerry, Lugar and McCain. We 
hope the Senate will reconsider this treaty soon in the next Congress. As 
President Obama declared in a written statement read in tribute to Senator 
Dole just before the vote, disability rights should not stop at our nation's 
shores.
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