Harkin calls for international action on people with disabilities

The U.S. Senator from Iowa who created the Americans With Disabilities Act more than a decade ago says it’s time to take the concept global. Democrat Tom Harkin has introduced a resolution urging the United States to take a lead role in the drafting of an international convention on the human rights of individuals with disabilities. Harkin says the A-D-A, which became law in 1990, has proven itself. United Nations member states are scheduled to meet next week in New York to consider proposals for a comprehensive treaty to protect and promote the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Harkin says such a U-N treaty could improve the lives of over 600-million individuals with disabilities throughout the world. Harkin says “It is time for the world community to come together and write an important new chapter and break down the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating in their communities and play an active role in civil society.  It is time to say to the entire world that disability rights are human rights, not just in the United States, but everywhere in the world.”