Theme for 2011: “Together for a better world for all:
Including persons with disabilities in development”
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
Presidential Proclamation -- International Day of Persons with Disabilities
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we recommit to ensuring people living with disabilities enjoy full equality and unhindered participation in all facets of our national life. We recognize the myriad contributions that persons with disabilities make at home and abroad, and we remember that disability rights are universal rights to be recognized and promoted around the world.
For decades, America has been a global leader in advancing the rights of people with disabilities. From the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which I signed last year, we have striven to bring the American dream and comprehensive opportunities in education, health care, and employment within reach for every individual. These actions --made possible only through the tireless and ongoing efforts of the disability community -- affirm our commitment to an equitable and just society where every American can play a part in securing a prosperous future for our Nation.
To fulfill this promise not only in America, but around the world, my Administration is putting disability rights at the heart of our Nation's foreign policy. With leadership from the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development, we are collaborating across governments and in close consultation with the global disability community to expand access to education, health care, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and other development programs. In 2009, we signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which seeks to ensure persons with disabilities enjoy the same rights and opportunities as all people. If ratified, the Convention would provide a platform to encourage other countries to join and implement the Convention, laying a foundation for enhanced benefits and greater protections for the millions of Americans with disabilities who spend time abroad.
We know from the historic struggle for disability rights in the United States that disability inclusion is an ongoing effort, and many challenges remain in securing fundamental human rights for all persons with disabilities around the world. On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we press forward, renewing our dedication to embrace diversity, end discrimination, remove barriers, and uphold the rights, dignity, and equal opportunity of all people.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 3, 2011, as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I call on all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
BARACK OBAMA
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U N I T E D N A T I O N S
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY
OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
“Together for a better world for all
including persons with disabilities in development”
3 December 2011
It is thirty years since the United Nations first observed the International Year of Disabled Persons under the theme “Full Participation and Equality”. During that period, there has been significant progress in raising awareness about the rights of persons with disabilities and in strengthening the international normative framework to realize those rights – from the World Programme of Action (1982) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006).
More and more countries are committing to protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities. However, many challenges remain. Persons with disabilities experience higher rates of poverty and deprivation and are twice as likely to lack health care. Employment rates of persons with disabilities in some countries are as low as one-third of that of the overall population. In developing countries, the gap in primary school attendance rates between children with disabilities and others ranges from 10 per cent to 60 per cent.
This multi-dimensional exclusion represents a huge cost, not only to persons with disabilities but to society as a whole. This year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities reminds us that development can only be sustainable when it is equitable, inclusive and accessible for all. Persons with disabilities need therefore to be included at all stages of development processes, from inception to monitoring and evaluation.
Addressing negative attitudes, the lack of services or ready access to them, and other harmful social, economic and cultural barriers will benefit all of society.
On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I call on governments, civil society and the global community to work for and alongside persons with disabilities to achieve inclusive, sustainable and equitable development worldwide.
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YouTube Uploaded by McShan8150 on Dec 1, 2011
Persons with disabilities make up an estimated 15 per cent of the world's population, according to the United Nations. Almost one-fifth of the estimated global totals of persons living with disabilities, or between 110-190 million, encounter significant difficulties. Furthermore, a quarter of the global population is directly affected by disability, as care-givers or family members.
Persons with disabilities encounter many disadvantages in their societies and are often subjected to stigma and discrimination. They remain largely marginalized, disproportionately poorer, frequently unemployed and have higher rates of mortality. Furthermore, they are largely excluded from civil and political processes and are overwhelmingly voiceless in matters that affect them and their society.
On Saturday December 3, we'll all be given a unique opportunity to broaden our scope of knowledge concerning the lifestyle, the challenges and the success stories that people with disabilities face on a daily basis, as we celebrate The International Day for Persons with Physical Disabilities.
Here from Jamie Harris a courageous young woman who has cerebral palsy as she shares her views on life, receive additional comments from Xavier Noordermeer the executive director of Community Living Windsor who discusses the importance of societal and social inclusion for persons with a disability and finally Denise Best a legally blind woman shares her opinion on promoting the importance of understanding and equality for all people with and without a disability. It's all in my latest story for CFTV34.
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Statement from HHS Secretary Sebelius on International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Saturday, December 3, 2011 is the 19th Annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a day to highlight efforts to improve the conditions of persons with disabilities. Across the globe, 15 percent of the world’s population is living with a disability and about a quarter of the global population has a family member with, or works with, someone with a disability.
When the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, America became the first country in the world to declare equality for citizens with disabilities. President Obama has continued our country’s leadership in improving the lives of people with disabilities. The Obama Administration has joined in signing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, promoting equality while seeking to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy the same rights and opportunities as all people.
Under President Obama the employment, retention and advancement of persons with disabilities within the federal workforce has been a priority of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Thanks to President Obama’s Executive Order 13548 and HHS’ Disability Hiring Initiative, announced in December 2009, I’m pleased to announce that for the first time in a number of years, we can report that over one percent of the permanent HHS workforce is comprised of employees with significant disabilities.
At the same time, due to passage of the Affordable Care Act, there are many new protections for those with disabilities and those within the disability community. Job-based and new individual plans are no longer allowed to deny or exclude coverage to any child under age 19 based on a pre-existing condition, which includes living with a disability. Starting in 2014, these same plans won’t be able to exclude adults from coverage or charge a higher premium for a pre-existing condition including a disability. Furthermore, insurance companies can no longer take away coverage when a person gets sick due to a mistake on their coverage application.
While we are pleased to announce HHS’ progress including more people with disabilities in our workforce as well as additional health insurance protections for persons with disabilities due to the Affordable Care Act, we know we have a lot more work to do. We will continue to work with the disability community and commit to efforts that enhance the lives of persons with disabilities.
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Youtube Uploaded by Center4Disabilities on Dec 2, 2011
The Center for Disabilities would like to share a video that was created for International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2011, on December 3rd. This video has disability related questions that can be answered by either True or False. We hope you enjoy testing your knowledge about disabilities
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Celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities - December 3, 2011
By Guest Blogger, Judith Heumann, Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, Department of State
On the eve of December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, it is worth noting that 2011 also marks the 30th anniversary of the International Year of Persons with Disabilities. Much has happened to advance the rights, equality and inclusion of persons with disabilities since the International Year was adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 1981. International Decades of Disabled Persons have been adopted by the UN, the Asia Pacific region, the Americas and the African region, advancing activities to combat discrimination on the basis of disability.
In 1990, with its adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the United States became the first country in the world to adopt national civil rights legislation unequivocally banning discrimination against persons with disabilities. A global pioneer, the ADA has inspired adoption of disability rights legislation around the world, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD is the first international treaty to comprehensively address the rights of persons with disabilities, and has unified the global community with a common language of disability rights.
In celebrating this year’s International Day, and in a spirit of reflection, the State Department is hosting a screening of the Independent Lens film, “Lives Worth Living.” This documentary charts the history and rise of the disability rights movement in the United States. It shows how far we have come in striving for a society where persons with disabilities can live their lives on their own terms, through access to education, employment, transportation, political participation and other fundamental spheres of life. It also demonstrates the power of unity, and how historically marginalized members of civil society can claim their place as agents of change in championing rights and freedoms, not only for themselves but for all people.
Such themes have been repeated over the past year, as we have witnessed civil society standing up for freedom and democracy in the Middle East and elsewhere. Secretary Clinton has referred to civil society as one of the “essential elements of a free nation,” and noted that “societies move forward when the citizens that make up these groups are empowered to transform common interests into common actions that serve the common good.”
As we contemplate the next 30 years, it is worth considering how we in the U.S. disability community can continue to unite our common interests into common actions to serve the common good of persons with disabilities, both here and abroad. We still have progress to make at home, but for many persons with disabilities abroad the barriers they face have much in common with the barriers faced by persons with disabilities in the United States 30 or more years ago. We have much to share with and learn from our colleagues around the world, as we work together to make the rights articulated in the CRPD a reality in the daily lives of children, youth and adults with disabilities. It is work that we at the State Department are dedicated to, and on this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we hope that you will commit to joining us in this endeavor.
Judith Heumann serves as the Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, the first such advisorto be appointed at the Department of State. The position of Special Advisor was created following U.S. signature of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and resides in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL). As the senior-level disability human rights position at the State Department, the Special Advisor leads on disability human rights issues across the Department. The Special Advisor also coordinates the interagency process for the ratification of the CRPD ; ensures that foreign assistance incorporates persons with disabilities; leads on disability human rights issues; ensures that the needs of persons with disabilities are addressed in international emergency situations; and conducts public diplomacy, including with civil society, on disability issues. Please visit http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/144458.htm and http://www.facebook.com/SAHeumann for more information.
Posted by Diana Z. on Dec 2, 2011 11:13:16 AM
# http://blog.govdelivery.com/usodep/2011/12/celebrating-the-international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-december-3-2011.html
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