Congressional Digest

Excerpt

On December 13, 2006, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) “to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent integrity.” A record 82 states signed the CRPD on its opening day of March 30, 2007. The treaty came into force on May 3, 2008, following ratification by the twentieth party. As of December 2012, 127 state parties had ratified the convention.

The convention was inspired in part by the landmark Amer…