Landmark disability treaty wins US approval

On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama announced his intention to sign the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), in what will be the U.S.'s first signing of an international human rights treaty in over a decade. Obama made the announcement at the 19th anniversary celebration of the passage of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) in Washington. Once he signs the treaty it will then go before the U.S. Senate for ratification so it can become a law. The treaty is the fourth major international treaty signed by the U.S. and the first in this century. Obama plans to sign when he is at U.N. headquarters in New York next week. Human rights groups across the U.S. and internationally are praising this latest move by Obama to engage in international human rights efforts. "This is a great day for the rights of people with disabilities and a step forward for the U.S. human rights movement," said Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Human Rights Programme.