Roger Ebert with USICD President Marca Bristo

The United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) deeply mourns the loss of film critic and Chicago icon Roger Ebert, who passed away on April 4, 2013.  Our thoughts and condolences go out to his beloved wife Chaz.

By Stephanie Ortoleva, Esq.

President & Founder, Women Enabled, Inc.

Every year, for two to three weeks surrounding March 8^th, International Women's Day, hundreds of women and allies from around the world gather in New York for the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).  Government diplomats, international agency representatives, leaders of non-governmental organizations, especially women's rights NGOs, share strategies, academic and field research, best practices, personal narratives, artistic expression, all with the objective of advancing the rights of women and girls worldwide.  Official panels and NGO side events are crammed into an information-filled schedule, dazzling attendees as they decide which event to attend.  Resolutions and the Final Conclusions document texts are debated, sometimes passionately.  The gathering is energizing, informative, tearful, frustrating, but always a force that motivates action.

Unfortunately, not all women are as welcome as others.  For many years that has been the situation of women with disabilities who want to engage at CSW, women who want their experiences respected, who want their contributions valued and, most of all who want their rights reflected in the resolutions and Final Conclusions from CSW.  After all, women with disabilities are women too!

But slowly over the past few years more of us women with disabilities have engaged at CSW and this year we have seen some greater progress.  I have organized side events at the last several CSW sessions and am pleased to see that a little more progress is made each session to enhance our participation in the discussions and in the policy outcomes of CSW and within UN Women itself. 

NCIL Executive Director Kelly Buckland, USICD President Marca Bristo, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth

USICD joined other national disability community organizations in hosting a reception for Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth.  Ladda Tammy Duckworth is the Representative for Illinois's 8th congressional district.  She is the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first disabled woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first member of Congress born in Thailand.  She pledged to be a champion of the disability community in Congress, and she called for greater representation of people with disabilities in elected office at all levels.  USICD President Marca Bristo, a fellow Illinoisan who leads Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, was joined in welcoming the Congresswoman by the leadership of the event's cosponsoring organizations: the American Association of People with Disabilities, the National Council on Independent Living, and the National Disability Leadership Alliance.

USICD is thrilled at the excitement surrounding the movement for ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2013! This month we had the pleasure of presenting a webinar to TASH members on the treaty with the help of former Chief of the Disability Rights Section of the Department of Justice, John Wodatch. TASH has been a major supporter of the CRPD and continues to support ratification this year! This month USICD also followed up with the wonderful members of the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG) about the treaty's outlook this year in the Senate. USICD thanks MHLG for their work on this issue and constant support for the equal rights and treatment of people with psychosocial disabilities all over the

world.

Executive Director David Morrissey presented with Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) policy staffer Rhonda Neuhaus on the CRPD and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the Disability Policy Seminar (DPS) earlier this week. Attendees to the DPS from around the country included self-advocates and disability leaders making visits in their state about the importance of the treaty to their daily lives.

If you are interested in a webinar or presentation on the CRPD, please contact Esme Grant, USICD's Disability Rights Program Manager, at egrant@usicd.org or 202-347-0102!

NEW CRPD WEBSITE!

USICD has launched its new website for the CRPD. Please visit HERE to check it out! The Quick Links on the left side bar will take you to media, materials, and other tools you need for your advocacy and to keep you posted on the latest CRPD news!

CRPD Committee Update

The CRPD Committee is meeting for its ninth session this week in Geneva (April 15-19) to discuss the report of Paraguay. The Committee has also committed a half day discussion to the topic of women and girls with disabilities. Visit the Committee site to read Paraguay's report or to learn more about the Committee's session.

• Baltic Cities and the CRPD: The Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC), an organization of 100 Baltic Cities from St. Petersburg to Kiel, have recognized the importance of the CRPD to the rights of their citizens with disabilities. The President of the UBC has therefore called for a survey on the implementation of the CRPD in the Baltic Sea Region. Results will be presented at the International City Forum in Kiel in June 2013. READ MORE
• Forced sterilization in Australia: As the CRPD Committee has pointed out, forced sterilization and forced abortion are still major issues facing women with disabilities. Read more about this issue through the personal account of Stella Young, a woman with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, who went to the doctor as a child to get a broken leg mended and was told she could be sterilized during her visit. READ MORE
• World Autism Awareness Day: Autism Awareness Month is in April and World Autism Awareness Day was April 2. Make sure you have the tools you need this month to create awareness on this important issue. READ MORE
• NCIL Legislative Priorities: The ratification of the CRPD is a legislative priority for the National Council on Independent Living! Independent Living Centers in every state have played a huge role in getting the treaty to where it is now. That is why NCIL has made the CRPD a priority. Check out page 20 of their 2013 Policy Priorities Booklet. Lead on NCIL!
• New Malawi Disability Act Welcomed: Malawi passed a new law in 2012 to replace its antiquated 40 year old law covering the rights of people with disabilities. The new law incorporates the framework of the CRPD and will work to address major issues like the less than 2% of children with disabilities that attend school and the majority of public buildings that are inaccessible. Interested in the disability community's take on the law? READ MORE 
• Ghana and Psychosocial Disabilities: In October, Human Rights Watch released a report on the treatment of people with psychosocial disabilities in Ghana. To view a video of some of the subjects of this research and hear their incredible stories, CLICK HERE 

Connect with USICD!

Member News and Opportunities

CBM International's March Newsletter 

Announcing 5th International Disability Law Summer School
March 8, 2013
Source: Centre for Disability Law & Policy, National University of Ireland

 The Intensive Career Transition Support Model - Reintegrating Wounded Warriors into the Workforce 

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Getting Ready to Ratify 

Health Disparities Research at the Intersection of Race, Ethnicity, and Disability: A National Conference
Thursday, April 25, 2013 - Friday, April 26, 2013

Go Abroad with a Disability, Find Your Career Path
Thursday, April 25, 2013 - Thursday, April 25, 2013

InterAction Forum 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013 - Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Conference on Supported Decision-Making in Theory & Practice: Ireland's Capacity Bill
Monday, April 29, 2013 - Monday, April 29, 2013

InterAction's Young Professionals Summit
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 - Tuesday, April 30, 2013  

Community Living for All - Conference on the Future Role of the European Union Structural funds to A
Friday, May 3, 2013 - Friday, May 3, 2013

International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) General Assembly
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 - Friday, May 24, 2013

5th International Disability Law Summer School 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013 - Saturday, June 22, 2013

2013 Annual Conference on Independent Living
Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - Saturday, July 27, 2013

Regional Disability Integration Specialist GS-301-12
Posted: Tuesday, April 16, 2013  opportunity