Tweet or Facebook your Senator to support the CRPD Treaty

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is an international treaty that outlines the obligations of ratifying countries to promote, protect, fulfill and ensure the rights of people with disabilities. President Obama signed the treaty in 2009, but the U.S. Senate still has to ratify it. A 2/3rds majority, or 67 votes, is required for ratification. 

The Senate held a vote on December 4, 2012, but ratification failed by six votes. 61 Senators voted in support. Disability advocates intend to try again during the next Congressional session, which starts on January 20, 2013.

The U.S. International Council on Disabilities is leading a social media campaign on Twitter and Facebook to reach out to Senators and encourage a vote in favor of ratification. 

Twitter

• Use the hashtag #CRPD to weigh in on your message of support for the CRPD treaty
• Tweet directly to your Senators by using the @ symbol and their twitter address. You can find your Senator's twitter address by going to their website and looking for the Twitter symbol, or searching for them directly on Twitter. Remember, every state has two Senators. Tweet to both of them! To find your Senator's website, please click here.
• Don't know what to write? Follow USICD on  Twitter (@USICD) or RESNA (@RESNAorg) to get ideas. 
• Keep tweeting - the important thing is to keep the messages going, because volume makes a huge impact. 
• Ask your friends and family to tweet and re-tweet. 
• Keep your messages positive.  

Facebook

• Visit your Senator's Facebook page and post positive messages about supporting the CRPD treaty. You can find your Senator's facebook page on their website, or by searching Facebook. 
• Choose a time to post when you know a lot of your friends and family are on Facebook so that more people have a chance to share. 
• Ask people to share and like your links to spread the word about supporting the CRPD treaty. 
• Link to the USICD's CRPD updates page and choose the CRPD "Ratify Yes!" sticker as the image for your facebook post. 
• Keep your messages positive. 

If you would like to contact your Senator via phone or letter, that is effective as well. Please click here to get your Senator's information.