President Barack Obama and Disabilities

During the elections, the subject of disabilities wasn't in the center of attention, while it effects almost one out of six Americans. While more emphasis was put on foreign policy and the economy, President Barack Obama definitely has a plan for people with disabilities. And this plan, was posted electronically on the internet, with special considerations to accessibility.

President Obama divided his plan into four areas concerning people with disabilities:

• Providing educational opportunities to succeed
• Ending discrimination and promoting equal opportunity
• Increasing employment rate
• Supporting community-based, independent living

There is no need to discuss these points any further, as the
actual plan is available online.

One almost concealed statement of the Obama plan, which did not receive the attention it deserves, has more implications than what it seems to be. Before the four major points of the plan, it is stated that Obama wishes to regain the leadership of the United States in disability rights, by becoming a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This convention was signed by the first countries in March, 2007, and since then most of the countries have signed, one of the few exceptions is the United States.

The convention introduces a major paradigm shift when it comes to disabilities. Some of the issues the convention addresses are:

• Equality and non-discrimination
• Accessibility
• Access to justice
• Liberty of movement and nationality
• Education
• Work and employment

In essence, the Convention contains all four of Obama's points, and much more. It is noteworthy that Obama does not mention any improvements of the accessibility of information technology in his plan. However, the UN Convention highly emphasizes it, many of its articles make some reference to it. Also, while certain accessibility measures, such as Section 508, only apply to the government in the United States, the Convention does not make any distinction, and applies in all circumstances.

The Convention is asking for a lot, in order to establish an ideal situation for people with disabilities, and it cannot be implemented overnight. Those countries who ratify the convention undertake changing their legislation to an extent that it requires to be in full compliance with the Convention. Probably most countries will have to make much more adjustments than the United States. However, if President Obama will sign this Convention, the U.S. could step up as a role model again in the area of disability rights and policies.