<html><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"><META name="Author" content="Novell GroupWise WebAccess"></head><body style='font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; '><br>Presidential Proclamation -- International Day of Persons with Disabilities <br><br>The White House<br><br>Office of the Press Secretary<br><br>For Immediate Release December 02, 2011<br><br>Presidential Proclamation -- International Day of Persons with Disabilities<br>By the President of the United States of America <br>A Proclamation<br><br>On
International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we recommit to ensuring
people living with disabilities enjoy full equality and unhindered
participation in all facets of our national life. We recognize the
myriad contributions that persons with disabilities make at home and
abroad, and we remember that disability rights are universal rights to
be recognized and promoted around the world.<br><br>For decades, America
has been a global leader in advancing the rights of people with
disabilities. From the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to the
Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which I
signed last year, we have striven to bring the American dream and
comprehensive opportunities in education, health care, and employment
within reach for every individual. These actions --made possible only
through the tireless and ongoing efforts of the disability community --
affirm our commitment to an equitable and just society where every
American can play a part in securing a prosperous future for our Nation.<br><br>To
fulfill this promise not only in America, but around the world, my
Administration is putting disability rights at the heart of our Nation's
foreign policy. With leadership from the Department of State and the
United States Agency for International Development, we are collaborating
across governments and in close consultation with the global disability
community to expand access to education, health care, HIV/AIDS
prevention and treatment, and other development programs. In 2009, we
signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which
seeks to ensure persons with disabilities enjoy the same rights and
opportunities as all people. If ratified, the Convention would provide a
platform to encourage other countries to join and implement the
Convention, laying a foundation for enhanced benefits and greater
protections for the millions of Americans with disabilities who spend
time abroad.<br><br>We know from the historic struggle for disability
rights in the United States that disability inclusion is an ongoing
effort, and many challenges remain in securing fundamental human rights
for all persons with disabilities around the world. On International Day
of Persons with Disabilities, we press forward, renewing our dedication
to embrace diversity, end discrimination, remove barriers, and uphold
the rights, dignity, and equal opportunity of all people.<br><br>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, 2011, as
International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I call on all Americans
to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and
programs.<br>IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second
day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
thirty-sixth.<br><br>BARACK OBAMA<br></body></html>