http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008015343_disabop25.html
"A treaty that takes effect this month could benefit one quarter of humanity: the 650 million people, as well as their families, who live with disabilities. The U.N. International Treaty on the Rights of People with Disabilities is also the first international treaty that guarantees the rights of such people to equality and self-determination.
People with disabilities are the world's largest minority, yet the United Nations reports that only 45 countries have disability-rights laws.
The U.S. has not signed the treaty, either, but it should. ...
In far too many nations, people with disabilities lack rights to vote, work, marry, own property, sign contracts or retain custody of their children. Ninety percent of children with disabilities in less-developed nations receive no education. ...
The treaty enshrines important principles that Americans hold dear: nondiscrimination, equal protection under the law and the right to autonomy and independent living in integrated, community settings. ...
We know that our society is richer for — and that everyone benefits from — including people with disabilities in schools, housing, workplaces, voting booths, houses of worship, public accommodations and every other sphere of life. ..."
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