[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9550 of December 2, 2016

International Day of Persons With Disabilities, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Over a quarter-century ago, the United States enshrined into law the
principles of equal access and equal opportunity for people with
disabilities through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which
upholds the principle that each of us is entitled to a set of
fundamental freedoms and protections. This progress has made America a
leader in advancing the rights of people with disabilities around the
globe. On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we celebrate
how far we have come in protecting the rights of those who live with
disabilities and recommit to shaping a future in which all members of
this community can enjoy their full rights and freedoms.
Building on the progress of the ADA, my Administration has taken
important steps to remove barriers and eliminate discrimination based on
disability. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, individuals can no longer
be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition or disability. We
have supported increasing funding for the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, reauthorized the Children's Health Insurance Program, and
strengthened anti-discrimination and Olmstead enforcement at the
Department of Justice. Additionally, we created the first-ever Special
Advisor for International Disability Rights, and we established the
United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence
Globally in order to address violence against women and girls around the
world--because women with a disability are more likely to experience
physical and sexual abuse than women without one. And last year, we
committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which
recognize inclusive education, disability employment, and social
acceptance of the disability community as important steps to ending
world poverty.
Our progress at home reflects our full commitment to the rights of
people with disabilities around the world. America was the first country

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to comprehensively address non-discrimination on the basis of disability
in national legislation and declare that disability rights are human
rights which must be recognized and promoted everywhere. In my first
year in office, the United States joined 140 other nations in signing
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities--the first international human rights convention to fully
address human rights in the context of disability. Now joined by over
160 States Parties, this Convention serves as a beacon of hope to the
more than 1 billion people worldwide who live with a disability--a
reminder that the need to protect disability rights does not end at our
borders. Regrettably, the Senate has still not provided its advice and
consent for ratification of this Convention, and I urge them to do so
and to uphold our global commitment to the international disability
community.
We have taken important steps forward to advance the rights of persons
with disabilities, but the fight is not over. As long as anyone succumbs
to casual discrimination or fear of the unfamiliar, we have more work to
do to honor the many people with disabilities who have shared their
stories of exclusion and injustice--and the millions more they spoke up
for. Because of the advocates who have led the way, more individuals
with disabilities can pursue their full measure of happiness. They have
taught us that our world is far better off when all people can live up
to their full potential--it makes all of us more whole, and it makes our
world a better place.
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, 2016, 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 sixteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
first.
BARACK OBAMA