We received the following excerpted news article from The Inclusion Daily Express.
The entire article is linked below.
S.K.
U.S. Treaty Signing Signals Policy Shift
(BusinessWire)
July 28, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC– [Excerpt] The International Disability Rights Monitor, a project committed to promoting the full inclusion and participation of people with disabilities worldwide in all aspects of life, today lauded President Barack Obama for announcing his intention to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. President Obama made his historic announcement two days before the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act, the landmark U.S. legislation prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities that has afforded millions of Americans opportunities to participate as full members of their communities.
“Members of the IDRM team were intimately involved in the negotiations that led to the UN Convention,” said Mary Keogh, International Coordinator for the IDRM. “The United States did not participate in those negotiations, but has a great deal to contribute to this effort. We welcome U.S. engagement and salute President Obama for taking this important step.”
Dr. William Kennedy Smith, M.D., founder of the Center for International Rehabilitation, the international nonprofit organization that launched the IDRM, said, “This was the most rapidly-negotiated treaty, with the most first-day signatories, in United Nations history. By joining this treaty, the United States is embracing an important effort by the international community and regaining leadership in an arena where the United States has traditionally set the benchmark. President Obama deserves all the credit in the world for his initiative on this issue.”
Entire article:
Treaty Signing Signals Policy Shift
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/2009/red/0728b.htm
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