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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

Update from the NCIL ADA / Civil Rights Subcommittee

By Julie Alexander, Co-Chair

The New Year has come and gone, yet we continue to deal with many of the same issues people with disabilities faced in 2012.

The NCIL ADA / Civil Rights Subcommittee is working on brining the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), an international treaty protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities in the US and other countries, back to the Senate floor for ratification.

The SHAME Campaign has begun! 

  1. Read NCIL’s statement on Senate rejection of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to see a full list of the Senators who voted against the CRPD on December 4, 2012!
  2. Call, email, Facebook, and Tweet every Republican Senator who voted ‘nay’.
  3. Thank your Senator if they voted in favor of the treaty.

Another priority for the Subcommittee that has carried into 2013 is pool accessibility. On January 31, 2013, Americans with disabilities celebrated as ADA regulations were (finally) released that require hotels and motels to make their pools accessible.  Unfortunately, new legislation has been introduced in the House (H.R. 203) to make these regulations null and void and allow hotel and business owners to once again ignore the civil rights of Americans with disabilities. We must contact our Representatives in the House to let them know that we do not support legislation that weakens the ADA.

Finally, there is once again talk on the Hill of reintroduction of an ADA Notification Act. Our fight goes on.

Comments

  1. I strongly belive that we need to get together and fight for more ACCESIBILITY on our country.For others to recognize that we people with disability have a VOICE and we what to be hear becuase WE here.”NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US”.