WASHINGTON — Disability rights advocates say if lawmakers want to honor Sen. Bob Dole’s legacy, they should finally ratify a United Nations treaty on disability rights the Kansas Republican icon championed in his later years.
But advocates acknowledge that passing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the evenly divided Senate will be difficult even with President Joe Biden’s backing.
The international agreement commits nations to ensuring equality of opportunity for people with disabilities, but Republicans have largely opposed the measure on grounds that it encroaches on U.S. sovereignty despite Dole’s advocacy.
