Please call Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk on Monday or Tuesday to urge that they vote to ratify the Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities. The full Senate could be voting this coming week to ratify this important international treaty and the vote could be close since a two-thirds vote is required. We need to generate thousands of calls, so please help out.

CALLS ARE NECESSARY BECAUSE TIME IS SHORT – THE CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD # IS 202-225-3121. IF THE SWITCHBOARD IS BUSY, PLEASE FIND THE OFFICE PHONE NUMBERS FOR BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm AND MAKE THOSE CALLS. You should ask to speak to the staff person who handles health or international issues, but must likely you will be asked to leave a voice mail message.

It’s a very short message: “I am a voting constituent of Senator_________ and I am strongly urging that he/she take leadership to bring to a full Senate vote the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Even though the U.S. has been a leader in advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities, we need to join the world community by ratifying the CRPD.”

AND: URGE them to bring to a floor vote the ratification of CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women – known as the Women’s Rights Treaty. Hearings on CEDAW were held in a subcommittee late June and we hope that there will finally be a floor vote soon to ratify this important treaty. We have been waiting 35 years for CEDAW ratification!

The Senate previously held a vote to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed. Another effort is being made to ratify the CRPD and, last Tuesday, the treaty was passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with a 12 – 6 vote. There is strong bipartisan support for this treaty, with former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kans.) committed to helping push for the necessary two-thirds. Advocates hope that the floor vote can be scheduled before Senate recesses for the month of August – just one more week to go — and we need to generate lots of calls.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the Convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure that they enjoy full equality under the law, according to Wikipedia. The Convention has served as the major catalyst in the global movement from viewing persons with disabilities as objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing them a full and equal members of society, with human rights. The CRPD’s core provisions pertain to reasonable accommodation, prevention of discrimination, accessibility, situations of risk and humanitarian emergency, recognition before the law and legal capacity, access to justices, right to education and health, habilitation and rehabilitation, work and employment, adequate standard of living and social protection, and right to vote. More information on the CRPD: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRPD and at http://www.disabilitytreaty.org/