From inSIGHT, Official Publication of The Arc of the US
an exerpt from "Leading From Where You Are"
By: Sue Swenson

2007 is an important year in the history of The Arc and in the history of our movement....

On March 30, 2007, the United Nations opened the Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities [presenting a landmark treaty] for signature and ratification by UN member nations. The disability convention was the first human rights convention in the 22nd century....

More than 80 nations signed the [treaty] on the first day. The United States was not among them....

Signing indicates our agreement with the principles of the [treaty]. It signals our intention to evaluate whether we can ratify. Ratification is a second and separate step. A two-thirds majority of the Senate is required for ratification.

Do Americans still need the UN [treaty] if we already have the Americans with Disabilities Act? Indeed, the ADA puts us in a position of world leadership in disability policy. Nevertheless, many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities must struggle to have their basic needs met in almost every state. And the ADA is always at risk of being whittled away by the courts, just as individual rights are sometimes whittled away by states’ plans and programs....

Perhaps it is time, in 2007, to reexamine our commitment to human and civil rights. Perhaps each of us, working together and leading from where we are, can make a significant contribution to making our nation better by strengthening her historic, national commitment to individuals....

It is a solemn charge: Help our beloved nation find a better way to recognize the common humanity and the rights of all of her citizens. The Arc has answered this call for decades, and we can answer it in 2007.

Read the text of the treaty at www.thearc.org.