[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 7, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 74949-74950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26713]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 7, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 74949]]

                Proclamation 10503 of December 2, 2022

                
International Day of Persons With Disabilities, 
                2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we 
                recognize and celebrate the equal rights and dignity of 
                disabled people everywhere and reaffirm our commitment 
                to building a world where people with disabilities are 
                afforded the opportunities, independence, and respect 
                they deserve.

                This work has been a priority throughout my career. I 
                was proud to co-sponsor the Americans with Disabilities 
                Act (ADA) in 1990, a definitive endorsement of 
                disability rights and bulwark against discrimination. 
                It was also a powerful example of America's global 
                leadership: in the years since the ADA became law, 180 
                nations have passed similar laws, delivering justice to 
                millions worldwide.

                But we have more work to do. Here in the United States, 
                people with disabilities are three times less likely to 
                be employed, and those who are employed often earn less 
                than their peers for doing the same work. Public 
                spaces, including transit systems and voting locations, 
                are still often inaccessible. And across the globe, 
                disabled people routinely face violence, harassment, 
                exploitation, abuse, and other barriers to their full 
                participation in society.

                From the beginning, my Administration has made righting 
                those wrongs a priority. I signed an Executive Order on 
                Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the 
                Federal Workforce to advance employment opportunities 
                for communities facing barriers, including Americans 
                with disabilities. Our American Rescue Plan is 
                providing $25 billion to States to make it easier for 
                seniors and people with disabilities to receive care in 
                their own homes, and my Administration delivered 
                vaccines, masks, tests, and therapeutics directly to 
                people in their communities to protect Americans with 
                disabilities and other preexisting health conditions 
                from COVID-19. I also directed my Administration to 
                accelerate progress toward understanding, diagnosing, 
                and treating ``long COVID,'' a condition that has 
                affected many Americans across the country.

                The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is our Nation's 
                largest-ever investment in accessible transit, and it 
                is also supporting the expansion of high-speed Internet 
                across the country so people can work, study, and stay 
                connected regardless of their ability to leave home. 
                The bipartisan Honoring our PACT Act--the most 
                significant expansion of services for veterans in more 
                than 30 years--helps veterans harmed by toxic exposure 
                access the health care and disability benefits they 
                have earned. The Inflation Reduction Act is capping the 
                cost of lifesaving prescription drugs for seniors and 
                people with disabilities on Medicare and putting more 
                money into Americans' pockets. And my Administration 
                has made hearing aids available to Americans over the 
                counter, lowering average costs by as much as $3,000 
                per pair.

                Meanwhile, the Department of Labor is protecting the 
                rights of workers with disabilities and fighting to end 
                unjust sub-minimum wages. To strengthen these efforts, 
                I signed an Executive Order requiring Federal 
                contractors to pay a minimum wage of $15 per hour, 
                including for employees with disabilities. And the 
                Social Security Administration and Departments of

[[Page 74950]]

                Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services are 
                helping State and local governments, employers, and 
                nonprofits access Federal funds to hire more Americans 
                with disabilities.

                We are also lifting up the dignity and rights of 
                disabled people around the world. I reestablished the 
                role of Special Advisor on International Disability 
                Rights at the Department of State to prioritize this 
                issue in our foreign policy. The United States Agency 
                for International Development (USAID) is also advancing 
                disability inclusion as part of its democracy, climate, 
                humanitarian, and peacebuilding activities. For 
                example, USAID is helping communities expand access to 
                wheelchairs, eyeglasses, and hearing aids, which enable 
                people to live productive, independent lives. As co-
                chair of the Global Action on Disability Network and a 
                participant in the Global Disability Summit, the United 
                States continues to stand for the equal human rights of 
                people with disabilities worldwide.

                In honor of the inherent dignity and worth of disabled 
                people around the world and in recognition of the 
                immeasurable contributions people with disabilities 
                have made throughout history and still make today, we 
                must continue to build a more inclusive, equitable, and 
                just world. Let us increase access to health care, 
                expand educational and job opportunities that offer 
                dignity and respect, and break down stigmas that make 
                it difficult for people to see each other's shared 
                humanity. And let us remember that disability is a 
                source of identity and power for over a billion people 
                and that this movement is not only about disability 
                rights but disability pride as well.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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, 
                2022, 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 twenty-two, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2022-26713
Filed 12-6-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P