Why Should the U.S. Ratify the Disability Treaty?
Ratification of the CRPD Exports U.S. Leadership. Ratification is critical to maintaining our leadership role on disability rights and to eliminating disability discrimination throughout the world and gives the U.S. legitimacy to export the model of the Americans with Disabilities Act to other countries. Ratification provides the U.S. an opportunity to play an important and expansive role in the development of disability rights around the world without having to change any U.S. laws or add additional costs to its budget.
Who Supports Ratification by the United States?
A broad coalition of over 750 U.S. disability, civil rights, faith, business, and veteran organizations support the U.S. ratification of the CRPD, holding that American leadership in this arena is critical to the ultimate success of the treaty. You can view a list of supporters of the treaty here.
- American business sector organizations support ratification of the CRPD, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Business Leadership Network, and the Information Technology Industry Council. Many U.S. companies including IBM, AT&T, Adobe, and JP Morgan Chase support ratification.
- Major veteran service organizations, representing veterans of every generation, support ratification of the CRPD. These groups recognize that our 5.5 million American veterans with disabilities will have greater opportunities to work, study, and travel abroad as countries implement the CRPD with leadership from the U.S.
- Republican leaders on disability legislation support ratification of the CRPD including former President George H.W. Bush, former Senator Bob Dole, former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and former White House Counsel C. Boyden Gray.
Will ratification of the disability treaty infringe upon U.S. sovereignty?
No, ratification of the CRPD will not result in any international authority over U.S. law. The U.S. is party to over 10,000 treaties and international agreements through which the U.S. has strengthened its position as a global leader, not weakened it. Ratification requires countries to submit periodic reports, as the U.S. already does for numerous human rights treaties it has ratified, and ratification will allow the U.S. to participate in an annual discussion about disability rights globally. With adoption of the recommended Reservations, Understandings, and Declarations (RUDs), ratification of the treaty will not require any changes in any U.S. law or policy nor relinquish any authority whatsoever over U.S. law.
Where can I find more materials and handouts on the CRPD?
You can find our CRPD one pager here.
You can find our Myths and Facts one pager here.
You can find additional resources on the disability treaty here!
