US to Sign CRPD Friday!

President Barrack Obama has announce plans to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on Friday, July 24, 2009 at the White House. The signing will also mark the 19th anniversary of the ADA and fulfill his campaign promise made before the election

Marca Bristo, President of the United States International Council on Disabilities stated:

President Obama committed to sign the Convention during his campaign and we applaud his leadership. This treaty is good for America, good for people with disabilities, and good for the world.. By signing this treaty the US is reaffirming its commitment to basic human rights of all people with disabilities and positioning us to better contribute our expertise on the global level.

Click for complete press release.

Suspended Sentences Poll

After reading about a Korean Judge giving suspended sentences to four men who raped a sixteen-year-old relative who had a developmental disability. Please consider registering your opinion below. Please be sure to read about this story before registering your opinion (November 24 report & December 3 report).

As of December 13, 2008, 16,839 people joined the original Korean internet petition! 

Paddling and Disability

Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union have released their report, A Violent Education: Corporal Punishment of Children in US Public Schools, detailing the nature and extent of corporal punishment in U.S. schools. Based on official reports for the 2006-2007 school year, 223,190 students received corporal punishment at least once, although the researchers suggest that actual numbers are much higher, because many cases go unreported.

European Union Protection

July 2008 – Cannes, France French Justice Minister, Rachida Dati, called on other members of the European Union to standardize protection of adults with disabilities across Europe.

UN study: Violence against disabled children

28 July  2005- New York UNICEF convened the Thematic Group on Violence Against Children at United Nations Headquarters as part of the United Nations Study of Violence against Children. A 33-page report of the thematic group’s findings and recommendation is available as a pdf file. The report was prepared by Dr. Nora Groce of Yale University with input from a group of international experts and agencies. The report addresses a wide range of topics, including: