[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 234 (Friday, December 5, 2014)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 72537-72538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28774]



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Vol. 79

Friday,

No. 234

December 5, 2014

Part V





The President





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Proclamation 9217--International Day of Persons With Disabilities, 2014
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  Federal Register / Vol. 79 , No. 234 / Friday, December 5, 2014 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 9217 of December 2, 2014

                
International Day of Persons With Disabilities, 
                2014

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Each year, the United States joins with the 
                international community to celebrate the inherent 
                dignity and worth of every person. In America and in 
                countries around the world, individuals with 
                disabilities support families, strengthen their 
                communities, and contribute to the global economy. On 
                International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we 
                reaffirm the fundamental principle that those with 
                disabilities are entitled to the same rights and 
                freedoms as everyone else: to belong and fully 
                participate in society, to live with respect and free 
                from discrimination, and to make of their lives what 
                they will.

                Nearly a quarter century ago, the Congress came 
                together to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act 
                (ADA), a landmark civil rights bill and a historic 
                milestone in our journey toward a more perfect Union. 
                The first Nation on earth to comprehensively declare 
                equality for its citizens with disabilities, we 
                enshrined into law the promise of equal access, equal 
                opportunity, and equal respect for every American. The 
                ADA was a formal acknowledgement that individuals with 
                disabilities deserve to live full and independent lives 
                the way they choose, and today, my Administration 
                continues to fight to give every person a fair shot at 
                realizing their greatest potential. We are working to 
                rigorously enforce the protections against disability-
                based discrimination and expand workforce training and 
                employment opportunities for people with disabilities, 
                including our wounded warriors and those with serious 
                disabilities. Today's theme, ``Sustainable Development: 
                The promise of technology,'' reminds us that as we 
                strive to increase accessibility in our communities, we 
                cannot allow the benefits of groundbreaking innovation 
                to be out of reach for those who seek to participate 
                fully in our democracy and economy.

                Disability rights are not only civil rights to be 
                enforced here at home; they are universal rights to be 
                recognized and promoted around the globe. That is why I 
                am proud that during my time in Office, the United 
                States signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons 
                with Disabilities, and why I continue to call on the 
                Senate to provide its advice and consent to the 
                ratification of what is the first new human rights 
                convention of the 21st century. Around the world, more 
                than 1 billion people experience a disability. These 
                women, men, and children seek a fair chance to complete 
                an education, succeed in a career, and support a 
                family--and the United States stands with them wherever 
                they live.

                America continues to be the world leader on disability 
                rights. Today, we celebrate the courage and commitment 
                of all who have agitated and sacrificed to bring us to 
                this point, and all who continue to press ahead toward 
                greater access, opportunity, and inclusion. With 
                advocates from around the world and all those whose 
                lives have been touched by a disability, we can build 
                on our progress. Let us recommit to fostering a society 
                free of barriers and full of a deeper understanding of 
                the value each person adds to our global community.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution

[[Page 72538]]

                and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim 
                December 3, 2014, as International Day of Persons with 
                Disabilities. I call on all Americans to observe this 
                day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and 
                programs.

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

[FR Doc. 2014-28774
Filed 12-4-14; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F5