The CRPD and Reality

I get it. You have a life. And, what does a UN disability rights treaty REALLY have to do with it?

First, the world will be different if the U.S. ratifies the Convention on the Rights of a Persons with Disabilities. Our emails will be flooded by people who have tracked us down via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn, asking questions like -- how do you set up an NGO for people with disabilities where they call the shots; who can provide free wheelchairs; what's the best slope for a ramp; is there technology that is user friendly for people with Alzheimer's; what state has the best law for voter access for people with developmental disabilities; do you have standards of conduct for interpreters; what's the best App on GPS for someone who can't see; and what does your research say about informed decision making?

Second, if you are an entrepreneur or thinking about becoming one, any one of the questions I mentioned and a zillion I didn't could be converted into a business plan to share with a bank or venture capitalist. Remember market share is 54 million plus in the U.S. and probably in the billion plus category world wide.

Third, the pressure will be on to collect products, best practices, and costs on EVERYTHING and make them accessible, ideally in one place (one-stop shop) for people with disabilities, and yes, aging baby boomers.  Anyone want to be a broker? Watch out, here comes Amazon.

Fourth, we have not yet created the perfect world for people with disabilities in the U.S. we probably have enough federal laws, the right federal laws, but our implementation and enforcement could stand a scouring and jolt of improvement. The CRPD, if ratified, could trigger a national dialogue on how to do just that.

If the previous paragraphs haven't gotten your adrenalin flowing you must be comatose. I am assuming you are alive, well, and imagining the possibilities right now. So, please take just one minute, go to the link, register, and sign the petition at the White House website -- http://t.co/j9OKHVs0x8. NUMBERS MATTER. ITS UP TO US!

Thank you.
Common Grounder

The CRPD and Senator Johanns

Senator Johanns, a Republican from Nebraska, has many things going for him -- he knows how governments work at all levels; he has executive experience; and he is not afraid of bipartisanship. These things have served him well in the Senate, a place that benefits from the presence of a practical person. What I especially admire about Senator Johanns is his care and support for veterans and his wholistic approach to legislation to help them.

He has sponsored legislation related to mental health, employment, and housing for veterans. His Helping Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Return to Employment (HIRE) at Home Act was part of the National Defense Authorization Act Conference Report, which became law, and told the Defense Department how to spend its funds. We all realize that it is a real miracle to see anything become law right now. With Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, Senator Johanns sponsored the Housing Assistance for Veterans (HAVEN) Act, a pilot program to assist disabled and low-income veterans in need of housing accessibility modifications or home repairs. In Senator Johanns' words -- "The  HAVEN Act allows non-profit organizations to work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help make simple repairs, keeping veterans safe, healthy and out of more costly health care facilities." He has introduced and cosponsored bills to improve mental health services for vets, especially those with post traumatic stress disorders. Let's hope his housing and mental health bills make it all the way to the President's desk this year.

We have a chance to make Senator Johanns an ally. He is retiring from the Senate at the end of this Congress. He has a solid record on veterans. If veterans in Nebraska would chat with him, Senator Johanns just might decide to support ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and put it in his win column. It would be an honorable addition to his legislative achievements.

Here is Senator Joahanns' contact information:

Washington, D.C.:  202.224.4224
Lincoln:  402.478.1400
Omaha:  402.758.8981
Kearney:  308.236.7602
Scottsbluff:  308.632.6032

Website:  www.johanns.senate.gov
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/u.s.senatormikejohanns
Twitter:  @Mike_Johanns

I urge veterans with disabilities, especially those from Nebraska, to reach out to Senator Johanns.

Thank you.
Common Grounder

The CRPD: it's Time to Go on the Record

We have started a petition to urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to move the CRPD out of committee to the Senate floor. Please sign the petition at the White House website -- http://t.co/j9OKHVs0x8.

We need 100,000 signatures by April 1, 2014.

Here are the details:

WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
Urge the SFRC to move the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to the Senate floor for a vote!

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has held two important hearings on the U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Hundreds of disability organizations, U.S. businesses, and our nations veterans support the CRPD. It's time to develop Reservations, Understandings, and Declarations (RUDs) that will move the CRPD to the Senate floor for a vote.

The U.S. Is losing businesses opportunities because other countries that have ratified are turning to other countries that have ratified for advice and technology that the U.S. can provide because we have decades of experience and the technology and manufacturers! Improved access overseas also creates opportunities for people with disabilities who want to live, work (DoD civilians) and travel overseas

Created: Mar 06, 2014
Issues: Disabilities, Foreign Policy, Veterans and Military
SIGNATURES NEEDED BY APRIL 05, 2014 TO REACH GOAL OF 100,000.

Please sign the petition and get your friends and family to do the same. Ratification of the CRPD IS SO WORTH IT!

Thank you.
Common Grounder

The CRPD and Senator Enzi

Senator Enzi joined the Senate in 1997. One of his committee assignments was Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. He's been there ever since. He cares deeply about families and children, including people with disabilities. He served for awhile on the Committee on Foreign Relations. His other current committee assignments include small business, finance, appropriations, and budget. At one point he was the CEO of NZ Shoes. Who knows, may be he still is!

In late summer of 2012 I went to visit Senator Enzi to urge him to support ratification of the CRPD. I thought my job would be easy. I was aware of his efforts for people with disabilities; I counted some of his staff as long time friends; I had educated myself about issues important to him; and some of my time as a committee staffer had overlapped with his first three years in the Senate. And, I had brought him a signed copy of a published thriller, Gradual Descent, I wrote. Word is, Senator Enzi was an avid reader, who reads six books a week. He confirmed that for me when we met. I don't know if he ever read my book, but he sent me a hand-written note of thanks!

He was a gracious listener, but I left his office without a clue about whether he were inclined to support ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). We all know he voted nay in December 2012.

Now it is 2014. Senator Enzi is up for re-election this year. On January 6, 2014 Liz Cheney dropped her bid to challenge Senator Enzi. People in Wyoming know Senator Enzi and like him. His Republican colleague from Wyoming, Senator Barrasso, already supports ratification of the CRPD. Senator Barrasso, who is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, can bring Senator Enzi up to speed on the issues that concern Senator Enzi the most -- parents' rights and sovereignty. Senator Barrasso has suggestions from conservative legal scholars, who testified, which address Senator Enzi's concerns.

If you visit Senator Enzi's website -- www.enzi.senate.gov -- and look at issue statements you learn things that may help make him an ally on CRPD:

He and Senator Barrasso cosponsored the Accuracy for Adoptees Act (Dec. 2013). This legislation focuses on parents' ability to change birth certificates with inaccurate information about children they adopted overseas.

He sees small business as the backbone of Wyoming's economy. Many assistive technology entrepreneurs are small businesses.

With regard to education, he strongly endorses the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. One of his comments on education --
"...United States must move faster in order to have a strong economy. American students must have all of the tools they need to complete a higher education and to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to become and remain competitive in a 21st century economy. Strong partnerships and alignment among K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, businesses, and government will help meet that need. I am working to find ways to encourage students to stay in school and prepare for and enter high-skill fields such as math, science, engineering, health, technology and critical foreign languages."

In his issue statement on foreign relations he leads with this sentence -- "The ever-increasing interdependency of the world requires that we maintain a strong voice in the world community." Later, he highlight some international initiatives to assist people in developing countries become more self-sufficient.

Finally, Senator Enzi, in his issue statement on veterans affairs, points out there are two large Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Wyoming. So, I am sure he has experience with and would welcome more conversations with vets with disabilities.

Any of these selected facts about Senator Enzi could be the start of a conversation and the foundation for shifting to talking about ratification of the CRPD.

Senator Enzi was born in 1944. So, in addition to being especially interested in securing votes from his constituents, I bet he is also interested in his legacy and making a potential next term really count. Being for opportunity, freedom, disability rights, and a safer, brighter future where the United States stands tall are surely on Senator Enzi's short list. As the leading Republican on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where the Americans with Disabilities Act was born, he can help us get the votes we need. We need to talk to him now.

His contact information:
Washington D.C.: 202.224.3424
Toll free:  888.250.1879
Website: www.enzi.senate.gov
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mikeenzi
Twitter:  @SenatorEnzi

Thank you.
Common Grounder

The CRPD and Senator Blunt

Senator Blunt, (Republican, Missouri), has been in the Congress since 1996. He has held many leadership positions. He is well-known for getting things done. He serves on the Senate Appropriations subcommittees that fund the State Department and the Defense Department among others. He knows international issues and the importance of the United Nations, and cares about veterans. He serves on the subcommittee dealing with technology and the internet on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. He has a large technology company in his state. He is probably receptive to assistive technology and the sale of it overseas. He serves on the committee that authorizes defense projects, so he's in tune with the military, their families, and their needs. And finally, he serves on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. That means, he is well-versed on Senate procedures and what it takes to get something passed.

He's up for reelection in 2016. And, like any other politician, he probably wants to broaden his base and keep his job.

Here's a sample of legislation he voted for, sponsored, or introduced:
• Voted for Iraq and Afghanistan War Funding, the Unemployment Benefits Extension, and GI Bill
• Voted for a resolution to urge President Obama to support a resolution on the human rights situation in China at the next session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (e.g., forced abortion, sterilization, extrajudicial killings, use of torture, Tibet)
• Voted for the Veterans Affairs and HUD Appropriations Act
• Co-sponsored a bill to cut red tape for families who adopt from abroad; and co-sponsored another bill to help support families that adopt abroad. The bill provides pre- and post-adoption support services, mental health treatment, and training. On this latter bill Senator Blunt said -- “This legislation will provide families with training and counseling throughout the adoption process, especially if their child has special needs... Every child deserves to grow up in a loving, safe and secure family…”
• Introduced a bill to support advocacy centers for child abuse victims.

This sample indicates Senator Blunt is interested in several things that are important to us -- human rights, technology, military personnel and veterans, prevention of abuse, and children with special needs. Any of these things could be the basis of a conversation about the disability rights treaty, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Also, he is pro-life. He has received endorsements from Catholic Families USA. If Senator Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, needs a bipartisan partner with whom to tackle text on a reservation on abortion, perhaps Senator Blunt is the man.

Here is Senator Blunt's contact information:

D.C.:  202.224.5721
Kansas City:  816.471.7141
Springfield:  417.877.7814
St. Louis:  314.725.4484
Cape Girardeau:  573.334.7044
Jefferson City:  573.634.2488
Columbia:  573.442.8162

Website:  www.blunt.senate.gov
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SenatorBlunt
Twitter:  @RoyBlunt

There is an opportunity here. We need to look at each Senator individually and urge each to be our partner in ratification. Please connect with Senator Blunt and ask him to support the CRPD. You could be especially helpful if you are from Missouri, are connected in some way to the military or veterans, have adopted a child, are an advocate for abuse prevention, or are in the assistive technology business. The time to do this is now.

Thank you.
Common Grounder

The CRPD and Senator Isakson

Did you know on February 19, 2014 Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., co-sponsored S. 2026, legislation to exempt U.S. athletes competing in the Olympics and Paralympics from paying taxes on the medals and prize money they bring home? The legislation is also co-sponsored by Senators Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Chuck Shumer, D-N.Y., Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Tim Scott, R-S.C., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and John Hoeven, R-N.D. So? Senator Isakson and other co-sponsors value what U.S. athletes represent. Our pride. Our achievement. Our standing in the world. Could not the commitment of Senator Isakson and the other Senators be extended to helping us with the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)? I say yes, if we ask.

From visiting Senator Isakson's website, I get the sense that he is a practical man, a problem solver. He is not afraid of bipartisanship. He seems to have an appreciation of thinking out of the box and collaborating. In December 2013 with others from both sides of the isle and both the House and Senate, he launched, as co-chair with Senator Heitkamp and Reps. Farr and Jenkins, the Defense Communities Caucus. This caucus is focused on helping communities where military installations are located and where many veterans and their families, as well as those who are on active duty, live.  If veterans were to reach out to Senator Isakson on the CRPD, they may get a receptive ear. Those who have experience overseas or are planning to go could share stories about the impact of and need for shared policies on disability rights and accessibility.

Finally, Senator Isakson, is a member of two committees that are very important to people with disabilities -- the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Wouldn't it be of value to us to approach him now on the CRPD and begin to develop a long-term relationship with him, so we would have his ear when entitlement and rehabilitation issues come up on the committees on which he serves?

Here is his contact information:
Washington, D.C.: 202.224.3643
Atlanta:  770.661.0999
Website from which you may leave a message:  www.isakson.senate.gov
Twitter: @SenatorIsakson

There are potential allies in the Senate for ratification. Senator Isakson is one of them. Please contact him. I know he will listen. He cares about things that are important to us. Use them to start the conversation.

Thank you.
Common Grounder

The CRPD and Senator Chambliss

Senator Chambliss, from Georgia, is on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Vice Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He is retiring at the end of 2014. What do these facts have to do with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities( CRPD)? Several things come to mind.

First, Senator Chambliss' work in the area of intelligence both in the House and Senate give him a sense of the importance of credibility, accuracy, cooperation, and timeliness when dealing with partners on intelligence. He understands the importance of connections among facts and among nations. Could not the ratification of the CRPD help in these matters? Ratification would clearly help our standing on the world stage in many arenas including those impacted by intelligence. It would surely not harm, but likely enhance, our collaboration with others. If we were to not ratify the CRPD other nations would question our true position on disability and human rights. And, who's to say this would not extend to how other nations view our position on intelligence gathering? Perhaps they would anticipate and expect that we would put limits on our cooperation and intelligence gathering simply for political reasons.

Second, Senator Chambliss has spent a lot of time with military personnel and their families. He knows the sacrifices they make and he knows the help they need. He also most likely knows that many veterans organizations strongly support the ratification of the CRPD. He clearly knows that there is an easier path for military personnel and veterans who go overseas if the country they are visiting or stationed in is on the same footing with regard to disability related issues as the U.S. This common footing will be more likely once we ratify the CRPD. Senator Chambliss' positions and votes with regard to military personnel and veterans have been based on a strong commitment to them, not to some political position.

Third, since Senator Chambliss is retiring this year he is reflecting on what will shape his legacy. Surely he wants to be remembered as a thoughtful statesman, a results-oriented legislator, and a man committed to helping his constituents access opportunities that strengthen them, their communities, and the broader economy. Ratification of the CRPD will make the world a better place far into the future. New opportunities will open up for businesses and people with disabilities, including veterans, across the world.

We need Senator Saxby Chambliss on the side of ratification of the CRPD. His record would suggest that is where he should be. Please contact him, especially if you are from Georgia, and ask him to join in support of the ratification of the CRPD. If you are a veteran or member of the military please contact him and ask him to support the ratification of the CRPD. He cares. Help bring him to our side.

Here are his telephone numbers:

Washington D.C. Office: 202-224-3521
North Georgia Office: 770-763-9090
East Georgia Office:  706-650-1555
Middle Georgia Office:  478-741-1417
Toll free: 800-234-4208
South Georgia Office:  229-985-2112

Like him on Facebook and leave him a message (Saxby Chambliss).

Send him an email by going to www.chambliss.senate.gov and hit the "contact me" link.

Thank you.
Common Grounder