BlogTalkRadio.com Show by Parents and for Parents of Children with Disabilities

Show Topic: Why Should Parents Care about an International Disability Treaty?

A Discussion with The Hon. Dick Thornburgh, The Hon. Tony Coelho, and Mr. David Morrissey 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE TODAY AT 1:30PM EST! 

Call or email & join the discussion & ask a question: 646-716-6879 maryandmelissashow@yahoo.com 

The Latest on U.S. CRPD Ratification!

On September 20^th, Senator Durbin (IL) requested Unanimous Consent to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities! Senator Lee (UT) objected to the UC  request and stated a position opposed to considering any treaties before next year. Senator Harkin (IA) weighed in on how important our U.S. leadership is to

the world and that he had hoped the treaty could move forward before Senate took their break before the elections.  Watch the video below for the full floor debate. 

Senators Durbin (D-IL). Harkin (D-IA), and Senator Lee (R- UT) discuss the Senate's passage of the CRPD

What's Next? The UC request was a strong signal that the Senate is taking the CRPD treaty seriously and that it will be brought up for a final vote in the lame duck session, expected to begin November 13^th.  The American disability community has worked hard to get to this point with over 250 disability organizations playing an important role in supporting this global affirmation of disability rights.  In October and early November before the Senate returns for the FINAL VOTE, let's raise our voices and KEEP THE DRIVE ALIVE!

• Call, write, or visit your U.S. Senators while they are back home and tell them you support the CRPD!  Click here to find information on how to contact your Senators.

• Take a few seconds and Facebook and Tweet your Senators. For Twitter, use #CRPD (You can find your Senate Twitter IDs here)

The Global Disability Rights Library (GDRL) project is meant to deliver disability rights knowledge beyond the reach of the Internet so that users can apply this knowledge in promoting the human rights of people with disabilities. But sometimes the positive effects of this project spill over into other areas.  One GDRL deployment site--Cultural Waves in Uganda--shares the use of their eGranary Digital Library most commonly with rural children whose parents, in many cases, are not literate.  They live in a remote location where poverty and disease is commonplace, and the nearest medical clinic is more than three hours away.  The children reportedly have used the eGranary to teach themselves about food borne diseases.  They

Four children with disabilities in Uganda explore the GDRL

were excited to learn how they and their families could take precautions to protect themselves.  One boy told GDRL's Regional Representative in Uganda, Angela Lak, that he wants to be a doctor when he grows up: he had never thought he would have the opportunity to access so many resources such as those inside Cultural Wave's new eGranary Digital Library.

USICD board members reported that the Fifth Session was the best Conference of States Parties (COSP) yet, with more involvement than ever from state delegations and civil society! The COSP, which occurred from September 12^th-14^th, focused on a theme of "Making the CRPD count for Women and Children" with subthemes including technology and accessibility. USICD Board Member Eric Rosenthal participated in a session on shadow reporting and other USICD Board Members including Stephanie Ortoleva, David Hutt, and Diana Samarasan, attended to share their expertise and learn more about the collaboration of DPOs around the world. Following the COSP several countries ratified the treaty including Israel, Poland, Russia, and Dominica.

Election Results! The CRPD Committee elections were also held during the COSP to fill nine of the eighteen seats on the Committee. Representatives of Spain, Chile, and Jordan were re-elected for another four years. New representatives were elected from the countries of Uganda, Thailand, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Guatemala. To learn more about these new and returning members, click here.  

8^th Session of the CRPD Committee: From September 17^th-28^th the CRPD Committee considered the reports of China, Hungary, and Argentina. To read the Committee's concluding observations for each country report, click here.

New CRPD Ratifications! Poland, Israel, Swaziland, Russia and Dominica are the most recent countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). 123 countries and the European Union have now ratified this treaty since it became open for signature in March 2007. READ MORE

Access Living visit from Yemen: On October 2^nd, a delegation of eight officials from Yemen visited USICD member organization Access Living through the auspices of World Chicago, an organization dedicated to fostering international exchange of ideas. The officials included members of the Yemeni Parliament. The delegation toured Access Living's green and universally designed office building, and engaged in a discussion of Access Living's disability policy work.

Transportation Reforms in Israel: As part of an initiative by Israel in anticipation its ratification of the CRPD in September, the government approved a series of regulations this summer to ensure that transportation companies will have accessible vehicles. The new regulations will allow local citizens and tourists with physical disabilities to access bus transportation and specially equipped vehicles at rental companies. READ MORE

Special Advisor Heumann Travels to Finland and Russia: Judith Heumann, the Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State traveled to Finland and Russia September 20^th-October 4^th. In Finland, Ms. Heumann shared her experience in promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in the U.S., as well as to explore different opportunities for collaboration. In Russia, Ms. Heumann participated in several roundtables to discuss inclusive education and to meet with the Paralympics and Sochi Olympics organizers. READ MORE

London 2012 Paralympics A Success: According to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the London 2012 Paralympic Games proved to be a huge online success, surpassing expectations from the organizing committee. There were record breaking figures for its website with more than 1.9 million visits. READ MORE

Russia Terminates USAID Mission Activities: Russia decided after 20 years of cooperation with USAID, to discontinue all USAID Mission activities in the country. The partnership created projects to help improve public health, address child welfare issues, protect the environment, develop civil society, modernize the economy and help the situation of people with disabilities. READ MORE

Washington, DC Visit by Paraguay's Fundacion Saraki: On September 12, USICD staff joined a presentation by Fundacion Saraki at the Inter-American Foundation on the work they are doing to promote and improve the lives of people with disabilities in Paraguay. Fundacion Saraki's activites include improving inclusion of people with disabilities in its 2012 Census and a partnership with Best Buddies International. Fundacion Saraki is also promoting a law to create a National Secretariat for Disability who will oversee implementation of the CRPD which was ratified by the country in 2008. READ MORE

New report from Human Rights Watch on People with Mental Disabilities in Ghana READ MORE

Upcoming events! Executive Director David Morrissey is also presenting at the Inclusion International Global Conference in Washington, DC on October 25^th and 26^th. Also on October 26^th, Disability Rights Program Manager Esme Grant is joining USICD Board Member Stephanie Ortoleva at International Law Weekend in New York to present on the CRPD and Article 13 (Access to Justice). Stephanie and Esme are both members of the American Branch of the International Law Association's Disability Committee. 

Existing Challenges for Myanmar's Deaf Community

On September 19^th, Seng Ja presented on the situation of the deaf community in Myanmar (Burma) in the offices of World Vision International in Washington, DC. Seng Ja serves as the Project Officer of the Deaf Resource Centre (DRC) run by the Myanmar Deaf Community Development Association (MDCDA). Over 40 representatives from nonprofit organizations, including USICD, attended this discussion.

READ MORE 

Oscar Ruiz joined USICD as a Programs Associate in September 2012. Oscar previously was a Research Fellow at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), focusing on the topic of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Oscar also served as an advisor for inclusion of people with disabilities in IDB's youth and capacity training projects. Before working at the IDB, he served as a Program Staff Assistant at the Inter-American Foundation, helping complete the first in-house review on the topic of poverty alleviation projects for people with disabilities at the agency.  Oscar has written several articles on the topic of disabilities, which were published in Grassroots Development.

Oscar has a BA in Political Science from the University of Florida and a JD from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica of Puerto Rico. He was a Law Clerk at the Ponce Courthouse, working on civil rights cases.

Connect with USICD!

Member News and Opportunities

WBU/ICEVI General Assemblies
Thursday, November 8, 2012 - Sunday, November 18, 2012  

1st CBR World Congress
Monday, November 26, 2012 - Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Creating New Futures for All: Children, Youth, DIisability and Situations of Forced Migration
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - Friday, November 30, 2012  

2012 TASH Conference
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - Saturday, December 1, 2012