[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 234 (Tuesday, December 8, 2009)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 64589-64590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29373]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 234 / Tuesday, December 8, 2009 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 64589]]


                Proclamation 8462 of December 2, 2009

                
International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 
                2009

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                This year, in an effort to renew our global commitment 
                to human rights and fundamental freedoms for persons 
                with disabilities, the United States became a proud 
                signatory of the United Nations Convention on the 
                Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This treaty 
                represents a paradigm shift, urging equal protection 
                and benefits for all citizens, and reaffirming the 
                inherent dignity and independence of the 650 million 
                people living with disabilities worldwide. Today, as we 
                commemorate the International Day of Persons with 
                Disabilities, we celebrate the skills, achievements, 
                and contributions of persons with disabilities in 
                America and around the world. We recognize the progress 
                we have made toward equality for all, and we rededicate 
                ourselves to ensuring individuals with disabilities can 
                reach their greatest potential.

                Despite our increased efforts, persons with 
                disabilities continue to face barriers to their full 
                participation in society. In the United States, 
                Americans with disabilities still experience 
                discrimination in the workplace and in their 
                communities. In developing nations, 90 percent of 
                children with disabilities do not attend school, and 
                women and girls with disabilities are all too often 
                subjected to deep discrimination. If we are to move 
                forward as a people, both at home and abroad, all 
                individuals must be fully integrated into our human 
                family.

                The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a 
                time to renew our commitment to the principles of 
                empowerment, dignity, and equality. The United States 
                has co-sponsored and joined consensus on the United 
                Nations General Assembly Third Committee's resolution 
                titled, ``Realizing the Millennium Development Goals 
                for Persons with Disabilities.'' We must continue to 
                embrace diversity and reject discrimination in all its 
                forms, and insist on equality of opportunity and 
                accessibility for all. Let our efforts remind us that 
                when we work together, we can build a world free of 
                unnecessary barriers and include every member of our 
                international community.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim December 3, 2009, as 
                International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I call 
                on all Americans to observe this day with appropriate 
                ceremonies, activities, and programs.

[[Page 64590]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                second day of December, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. E9-29373
Filed 12-7-09; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W0-P