Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Menendez has scheduled two hearings to discuss the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (#CRPD) in November!
Senator Menendez and the Committee’s Ranking Republican Senator Bob Corker need to hear from everyone; they are logging all call and contacts made state by state. Your help spreading the word will determine if and when we get floor time for passage of this treaty! It is time for action NOW!
WHAT: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on U.S. Ratification of the Disability Treaty, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
WHEN: November 5th at 2:30-4:30p and November 12th at TBA.
WHERE: Washington, DC, U.S. Capitol Hill, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 419 Dirksen.
WHY: We must show the Foreign Relations Committee that we are a strong and diverse community that supports the treaty: we are disability, veteran, civil rights, faith, business, family — everyone has a role in this fight.
1. The CRPD Action Center at http://disabilitytreaty.org offers tools that can help you communicate with your Senators.
* Every call really does matter. Set up phone banks for your dorms, organizations or classes. Hold events where everyone calls together!
* Reach your Senator with the calls, letters, e-mails, petitions and social media.
* In addition to your own Senators, you also can call Senator Menendez and Senator Corker. As Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, they represent all Americans.
2. Sign and disseminate the petitions! Youth below age 30 can sign a petition for young people at http://bit.ly/Youth4CRPD. People of all ages can sign another petition at http://disabilitytreaty.org. Every signature really does matter!
3. The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has scheduled two hearings on the CRPD for November 5 and 12, 2013. WE NEED YOU TO COME. Bring your friends, family, and classmates. Help us FILL THE ROOM. Show the Senators your support.
Monitor http://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/ for forthcoming details on time and location.
CRPD Facts:
* The CRPD is the first international treaty to recognize the inclusion of sign language and deaf culture in society.
* More than 700 disability, veterans, faith, business, and humanitarian organizations support CRPD ratification.
* Last year, we lost by only 5 votes. Please help us succeed this year. This could be our last chance for a long time.
To learn more about the CRPD:
https://www.nad.org/issues/international-advocacy/crpd
https://www.nad.org/news/2012/9/we-need-your-support-ratify-crpda
http://www.facebook.com/RatifyCRPD
https://www.nad.org/contactcongress
Contact Andrea Shettle at [email protected] or videophone 202-540-8812 for any questions about the CRPD.
Please share this with your friends, colleagues, and allies!
Parts of this press release were borrowed from USICD.