A Chance to Do Right by People with Disabilities, Veterans and Businesses
The following is a guest article featured in The Rome News Tribune on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) that is written by GCDD Council member Geneice McCoy.
The Rome News Tribune, 9/4/13, Click here to read online. (This link is no longer active.)
Guest Column: A chance to do right by people with disabilities, veterans and businesses
By Geneice McCoy
As a former Army wife and mother of two children with disabilities, I am deeply concerned about a current issue that comes before the United States Senate when they return from their summer recess next week that Americans need to know more about.
That issue is the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, or CRPD.
The CRPD is an international treaty inspired by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The treaty does not create any new rights; rather, it is based on the fundamental idea that everyone is equal and certain rights apply to all people.
Over 130 countries around the world have ratified the CRPD, and it is supported by a wide bipartisan coalition here in the United States, including retired senator Bob Dole, former president George H.W. Bush, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Sen. John McCain, as well as numerous veterans groups and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
In spite of this widespread support, the U.S. still has not ratified the treaty.
U.S. ratification of the CRPD would have a positive impact worldwide. For one thing, it would reduce barriers to Americans with disabilities that study or travel abroad.
I am very familiar with the barriers currently faced by Americans abroad. My sons and I lived overseas with my husband for three years, but there was a time that we could not accompany him because they could not receive the proper accommodations.
That year without him was very stressful for our family. The CRPD will help other families in similar situations across the globe.
CRPD is also good for business.
It would protect American business and economic interests by holding other countries to the level of accessibility required by the U.S., which enhances U.S. businesses' ability to reach emerging sources of revenue across the globe.
Finally, CRPD would allow the U.S. to continue its traditional role as the leader in worldwide disability policy. More importantly, CRPD will not change any U.S. laws, nor will it add costs to the U.S. budget.
Unfortunately, there are some who oppose the ratification of CRPD.
The most adamant opponents are members of the homeschool community who, as I understand it, fear that a treaty like CRPD could interfere with their rights as parents.
I homeschooled my children for more than six years and I understand this fear, but I believe it is unfounded. The parental rights and criteria for homeschooling are determined by each state individually, and when you look at the language of the treaty, you see that it does not interfere with parental rights at all.
I am a firm believer that we can always better our best efforts. CRPD would be a great step forward for the U.S. and for the world. I am personally asking Georgia Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss to vote in support of ratifying this treaty.
If you care about protecting human rights, protecting US interests globally, or equalizing the playing field for people with disabilities and their families, including veterans, please contact both senators today and ask them to support CRPD. You can reach Senator Isakson's office at 202-224-3643 and Senator Chambliss' office at 202-224-3521.
Geneice McCoy, mother of two sons with autism, is a parent advocate living in Augusta. She was appointed to the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities by Gov. Nathan Deal in 2012.
