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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 235 (Friday, December 6, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 96855-96856]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28852]



                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 235 / Friday, December 6, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 96855]]

                Proclamation 10868 of December 3, 2024

                
International Day of Persons With Disabilities, 
                2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The over one billion disabled people around the world 
                have made incredible contributions--propelling us all 
                forward in the pursuit of progress. This International 
                Day of Persons with Disabilities, we recommit to 
                ensuring that people with disabilities are treated with 
                dignity and respect and have every opportunity to reach 
                their full potential.

                I remain proud that one of my earliest acts as a United 
                States Senator was co-sponsoring the Rehabilitation 
                Act, banning discrimination on the basis of disability 
                by any entity funded by the Federal Government. And 
                later, I co-sponsored the Americans with Disabilities 
                Act, which banned discrimination against disabled 
                people in workplaces, schools, public transit, and 
                more--finally making a commitment to build an America 
                for all Americans. Together, these laws declared what 
                we have always known to be true: that Americans with 
                disabilities deserve dignity, respect, and an equal 
                chance at the American Dream.

                Over 180 nations have passed similar laws in the years 
                since, codifying their commitment to equal justice and 
                opportunities for people with disabilities. Still, 
                these laws have not brought an end to the work we need 
                to do. Around the world, people with disabilities are 
                subject to shameful discrimination, harassment, 
                exploitation, abuse, and violence. And too often, they 
                struggle to get by--whether it is finding an 
                accommodating job, enjoying public spaces, receiving 
                quality education, or getting to and from school or 
                work.

                That is why my Administration has worked to uplift 
                people with disabilities in everything we do. My 
                American Rescue Plan provided $37 billion to strengthen 
                home-based services so that more people with 
                disabilities have the option to live independently at 
                home. My Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes historic 
                investments in making transit, rail, and airports more 
                accessible, so that people with disabilities can 
                commute and travel with dignity. The Department of 
                Justice issued a rule that ensures State and local 
                governments make their web content and mobile apps more 
                accessible to Americans with disabilities so they can 
                more easily access local government services, emergency 
                services, voting information, and publicly funded 
                education. And today, the Department of Labor announced 
                a proposed rule that would gradually phase out 
                certificates that permit employers to pay workers with 
                disabilities less than the full minimum wage.

                My Administration has also worked with partners around 
                the world to secure the rights of people with 
                disabilities. I released the first-ever Memorandum on 
                Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor 
                Standards Globally, which is working to ensure that 
                people with disabilities are represented in our work to 
                promote labor rights. And I re-established the role of 
                Special Advisor on International Disability Rights at 
                the Department of State to ensure our foreign policy 
                reflects our commitment to this community. In October, 
                my Administration participated in the first-ever G7 
                Ministerial on Inclusion and Disability, joining 
                leaders around the world to advance disability rights. 
                Together with leaders from Central Asia, I launched a 
                joint disability rights initiative to help make 
                education and

[[Page 96856]]

                infrastructure more accessible. And as a co-chair of 
                the Global Action on Disability Network, the United 
                States is continuing to advocate for disability rights 
                on the world stage.

                Today, I am thinking of a quote from disability rights 
                activist Judy Heumann, who once wrote: ``Change never 
                happens at the pace we think it should. It happens over 
                years of people joining together, strategizing, 
                sharing, and pulling all the levers they possibly 
                can.'' On International Day of Persons with 
                Disabilities, we show our gratitude for all the leaders 
                and activists who have advocated and worked to make 
                real our Nation's founding promise--that every American 
                has a right to be recognized and respected for who they 
                are. And we recommit to building a world where we 
                support disability pride and give everyone an equitable 
                chance at achieving their highest aspirations.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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, 
                2024, 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 
                third day of December, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                ninth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-28852
Filed 12-5-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
```