Your support is urgently needed to ratify The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Treaty.

Why is This Important? The CRPD will improve access for disabled veterans and other Americans with disabilities that live, work, or travel abroad. The treaty is critical to maintaining America’s leadership role on disability rights and to eliminating disability discrimination throughout the world.

The CRPD embodies the protections and opportunities available through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but on a global scale. Ratification of the CRPD treaty would present the opportunity for a reaffirmation of ADA values and provide the forum to advance them worldwide.

How You Can Help

While the U.S. signed the CRPD in 2009, it must receive a 2/3rds vote in the Senate to be ratified and become U.S. law.  Currently, 111 countries have ratified (consented to) the treaty and 153 countries have signed it.  United Spinal Association’s VetsFirst program, along with the rest of the disability community, have been lobbying hard all summer, from meetings on the Hill, to calls, Tweets, emails and Facebook posts.  Our collective hard work has paid off and a vote to ratify the treaty is expected during the Senate’s Lame Duck session.

Now in the home stretch, your voices are needed now more than ever.  The opposition has stated that the disability community is uninformed and does not really support the disability rights treaty.  We are being significantly outnumbered by the opposition on calls and contacts via social media.

VetsFirst is taking the lead November 9th, 13th and 29th and December 13th to help get the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities passed.  Disability organizations around the country are spearheading days of action each and every day between late October and mid-December.  We need your help to make our action days count.

We’re asking you and your friends, family and work colleagues to take 3 minutes on those days to contact your Senators for the  make calls, Tweet and Twitpic, email and Facebook today to show support!

You can also make calls, Tweet and Twitpic, email and Facebook to show your support!

CONTACTS: Use the phone and email contact information for your Senators and Tweet using their Twitter IDs.  (Tweet using #CRPD #UNCRPD) Or send a letter to your Senators.

Tell your Senators:

  • I am a person with a disability / I am a veteran. I support the CRPD treaty and I want to see he/she vote in support of the treaty this year!
  • The CRPD will not cost the federal government any additional funds.
  • The CRPD has been reviewed by both Republican and Democratic Attorneys General and by past Counsel to Presidents.  They confirm that it does not threaten the sovereignty of the U.S. nor does it require any new legislation to comply with the treaty.
  • This treaty is good for American business and for the world.  It will allow us to bring our knowledge of making a society accessible to the whole world.
  • MOST IMPORTANTLY – This treaty is very important to the U.S. disability and veterans communities!  Following U.S. ratification of the treaty, U.S. leadership will help raise accessibility around the world, directly helping Americans with disabilities who live, work, or travel abroad.

Sample Tweet : @(SenatorID) Support the #CRPD #UNCRPD in 2012!  This is a #disability/vets issue and we say vote YES!

Sample Twitpic: https://twitter.com/USICD/status/259376999901044736/photo/1

Want more information about the treaty?  CLICK HERE