15 August 2005
New Panel Aims To Give Greater Voice to Disabled in Foreign Policy, August 15, 2005
(Governments must be inclusive of all people, State's Dobrianksy says)
By Alexandra Abboud
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The Advisory Committee on Persons with Disabilities, in its first meeting on August 15, discussed ways to increase the role of persons with disabilities in the formulation of U.S. foreign policy and foreign-assistance programs.
“The committee was created out of the recognition that we as a government need to do more for persons with disabilities around the world,” Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky said at the initial session.
Dobriansky cited the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into U.S. law in 1990 to give disabled Americans civil rights protections and to guarantee equal opportunity in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.
“The ADA has enabled society to benefit from the skills and talents of individuals with disabilities, and this has led to fuller and more productive lives for all Americans,” she said. A key objective of the committee is to help the U.S. government apply the successes of the ADA to more effectively address the issues of the disabled worldwide when formulating foreign policy and foreign assistance.
Another key objective of the committee is to ensure that people with disabilities are part of the democratic process in their countries through access to the electoral process and citizen participation. “For democracies to flourish, governments must be inclusive of all people, including people with disabilities,” Dobrianksy said.
Christopher Camponovo, executive director of the committee and senior adviser at the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said the committee hopes to provide “realistic, action-oriented advice” to the government on how to address issues important to the disabled in U.S. foreign policy and assistance.
“We want to find out how to further build the capacity of local disabled persons organizations so that they can effectively advocate for their rights, advocate for inclusion, and advocate for access in their own societies,” Camponovo said.
Ex officio members of the advisory committee are Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Andrew Natsios and Camponovo. In addition, there are eight members from nonprofit and public-policy organizations, the private sector and academic institutions, as well as experts on foreign policy and development issues related to persons with disabilities. (See related article.)
