International Day of Persons With Disabilities, 2024

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

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.