,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #chhj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #c1 #bjbj,mr4 ,casey 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,coons1 and ,mr4 ,durbin7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,office of ,international ,disability ,rights1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,office of ,international ,disability ,rights ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states has shown leadership domestically on disability rights with the ,americans with ,disabilities ,act of #aiij 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #abaja et seq471 as well as section #ejd of the ,rehabilitation ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #gid71 and this leadership should be leveraged to support international disability rights4 7#b7 ,the ,united ,nations 7,,un7 ,sustainable ,development ,goals #d 7,no ,poverty71 #h 7,decent ,work and ,economic ,growth71 #aj 7,reduced ,inequality71 #aa 7,sustainable ,cities and ,communities71 #af 7,peaceful and ,inclusive ,societies71 and #ag 7,partnerships7 explicitly mention persons with disabilities1 while #ac other ,goals are particularly related to persons with disabilities1 and countries are required to report disability disaggregated data for each4 7#c7 ,there are more than #a1jjj1jjj1jjj people with disabilities around the world1 and #hj percent live in developing countries4 7#d7 ,sixty percent of people with disabilities are women1 according to the ,united ,nations4 7#e7 ,women with disabilities are more likely to experience violence and sexual violence than women without disabilities4 7#f7 ,there are more than #ij1jjj1jjj children with disabilities worldwide according to the ,united ,nations ,children's ,fund 7,,unicef74 7#g7 ,children with disabilities are more likely to be malnourished1 subject to violence1 isolation1 and abuse1 and less likely to attend school than children without disabilities4 7#h7 ,people with disabilities are subject to economic and social marginalization4 ,the ,international ,labor ,organization has estimated that the cost of excluding people with disabilities from the world of work could be up to #g percent of ,gross ,domestic ,product 7,,gdp7 in some low- and middle-income countries4 7#i7 ,the inclusion of people with disabilities is a fundamental part of democracy and essential to the full realization of human rights4 7#aj7 ,the political participation and leadership of people with disabilities1 including those who acquired a disability through conflict1 is crucial to sustaining democratic institutions4 7#aa7 ,people with disabilities can face disadvantages in all areas of life1 including educational attainment1 labor market outcomes1 financial stability1 housing1 standard of living conditions1 political participation1 access to health care1 arts and culture1 sports1 transportation1 and access to justice and citizenship4 7#ab7 ,issues related to disability rights cut across all sectors of foreign assistance1 including democracy1 voting and elections1 human rights1 civil rights1 labor1 global health1 education1 economic growth and trade1 gender equality and women's empowerment1 agriculture and food security1 water and sanitation1 conflict transformation1 disaster risk reduction1 and humanitarian recovery and relief4 7#ac7 ,people with disabilities are members of all marginalized groups1 including women1 young people1 older adults1 the ,,lgbti community1 ethnic and religious minorities1 indigenous people1 internally displaced people1 and refugees4 7#ad7 ,the public presence of the ,special ,advisor for ,international ,disability ,rights at the ,department of ,state1 first appointed in #bjaj1 helped raise the visibility of people with disabilities in ,department policies and programs1 and improved the inclusion of disability in the ,department's annual ,country ,reports on ,human ,rights ,practices and ,trafficking in ,persons reports4 7#ae7 ,there is currently no mandate that ,department of ,state programming be disability inclusive where relevant1 and the ,department does not have a formal1 publicly available disability policy4 #c4 ,disability inclusion in foreign policy 7a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that1 since international disability rights is foundational to development1 national security1 and economic outcomes1 disability inclusion should be mainstreamed through all foreign assistance and programming4 7b7 ,formal policy for disability inclusion in foreign policy 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall develop and adopt a formal policy for disability inclusion in ,united ,states foreign assistance programming and ensure that such policy is implemented in the ,foreign ,affairs ,manual4 7#b7 ,matters to be included ,the policy required under subsection 7a7 should include information and guidance on the ,department's approach to disability inclusion in ,united ,states foreign assistance and disaster response programming4 7#c7 ,consultation ,in developing and adopting the policy1 the ,secretary shall consult with-- 7,a7 individuals with disabilities1 organizations of people with disabilities and international nongovernmental organizations working on disability rights2 and 7,b7 the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid7 to promote coherence of such policy with ,,usaid's formal disability policy4 7#d7 ,public availability ,the ,secretary shall publish such policy on a publicly available website of the ,department4 #d4 ,office of ,international ,disability ,rights 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state shall establish an ,office of ,international ,disability ,rights 7referred to in this section as the ,office71 which should be placed at the ,under ,secretary level and which shall be headed by an ,ambassador-at-,large4 7b7 ,purpose ,the ,office shall coordinate efforts of the ,united ,states ,government1 as directed by the ,secretary1 regarding human rights for people with disabilities and advancing the status of people with disabilities in ,united ,states foreign policy4 7c7 ,duties ,the ,office shall carry out the following duties3 7#a7 ,serve as the principal advisor to the ,secretary on all matters related to disability inclusive foreign policy1 including ensuring that when the ,department awards grants or contracts1 the award of grants or contracts is consistent with ,united ,states law and practice on disability rights1 including nondiscrimination and the ability to use such funds for the provision or reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities4 7#b7 ,represent the ,united ,states in diplomatic and multilateral fora on matters relevant to the rights of people with disabilities and work to raise the profile of disability across a broader range of organizations contributing to international development efforts1 including donor engagement and mobilization of resources1 capacity building1 accountability mechanisms1 advocacy1 and implementation of international guidelines and standards4 7#c7 ,work to ensure that disability inclusive practices and empowerment of people with disabilities are fully integrated into all ,united ,states foreign operations4 7#d7 ,conduct regular consultation with civil society organizations working to advance international disability rights and empower people with disabilities internationally4 7#e7 ,consult with other relevant offices at the ,department of ,state that are responsible for drafting annual reports to include information on people with disabilities wherever applicable1 which may include instances of discrimination1 prejudice1 abuses of people with disabilities1 disabilities caused as a result of conflict involving the ,united ,states1 or explosive remnants of war sourced in the ,united ,states4 7d7 ,supervision ,the ,office shall be headed by an ,ambassador-at-,large for ,international ,disability ,rights4 ,the ,ambassador-at-,large should be a person of recognized distinction in the field of disability rights4 ,the ,ambassador-at-,large shall be provided with appropriate funding and staff consistent with the duties of the ,office and with ,department of ,state guidance on the status of an ,office4 7e7 ,consultation ,the ,secretary shall direct offices and employees of the ,department1 ,ambassadors at ,large1 ,representatives1 ,special ,envoys1 ,special ,advisors1 and coordinators to consult with the ,office to promote the human rights and full participation of people with disabilities in ,united ,states foreign policy4 #e4 ,departmental hiring and facilities accessibility 7a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary of ,state for ,management shall1 in consultation with the ,ambassador-at-,large1 the appointed pursuant to section #d7;a71 prioritize in the hiring and recruitment and overseas assignments1 the accessibility practices of civil service employees and foreign service officers with disabilities and their family members with chronic medical conditions or disabilities4 7b7 ,duties ,the ,under ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 ensure that facilities used to carry out the mission of the ,united ,states at embassies1 consulates1 leased facilities1 or any other facilities are in compliance with ,united ,states ,access ,board standards1 including accessibility to people with disabilities1 including by-- 7,a7 making websites and other forms of communication accessible to people with disabilities and providing reasonable accommodations to program participants2 7,b7 ensuring accessibility of ,united ,states ,government facilities by contracting with local contractors and subcontractors that meet the requirements of section #ejc of the ,rehabilitation ,act of #aigc 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #gic7 to affirmatively hire workers with disabilities2 and 7,c7 consulting with the ,department of ,labor's ,office of ,federal ,contracts ,compliance to ensure all ,department of ,state contractors are compliant with the ,americans with ,disabilities ,act of #aiij2 7#b7 ensure that the policies and practices for the recruitment and placement of foreign service officers and their families encourage the hiring and placement of people with disabilities in compliance with the ,rehabilitation ,act of #aigc 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #gja et seq472 7#c7 consult with the ,disability ,rights ,section of the ,civil ,rights ,division of the ,department of ,justice to ensure that ,department of ,state hiring is compliant with the ,americans with ,disabilities ,act of #aiij2 and 7#d7 ensure that policies are in place for hiring locally employed staff in embassies and consulates outside the ,united ,states to ensure that accommodations are offered1 provided1 and funded from the ,department's centralized reasonable accommodation fund4 7c7 ,facility accessibility ,the ,under ,secretary for ,management shall1 in consultation with the ,ambassador-at-,large appointed pursuant to section #d7;a71 ensure that embassies and consulates and their services are accessible to people with disabilities1 including with respect to-- 7#a7 the physical accessibility of facilities housing embassies and consulates2 7#b7 websites of ,united ,states embassies and consulates2 7#c7 public internet and telecommunications2 and 7#d7 other means of communication with ,united ,states residents and the general public4 #f4 ,training 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state shall require online or in-person mandatory disability inclusion training for all civil service and foreign service personnel of the ,department of ,state and chiefs of mission1 including on-- 7#a7 how to develop solicitations1 programming1 budgets1 and policies that are inclusive2 7#b7 how to ensure a disability-inclusive work environment2 7#c7 how to conduct disability-inclusive analyses of laws and programming2 7#d7 how to empower and support local organizations of people with disabilities2 7#e7 how to ensure implementing partners that receive funding from the ,department hire and include people with disabilities throughout all ,department programs1 as applicable by using international monitoring frameworks that address inclusive programming and integrating inclusion indicators2 and 7#f7 inclusive humanitarian action for people with disabilities1 in line with established international frameworks including the ,inter-,agency ,standing ,committee 7,,iasc7 guidelines and the ,charter on ,inclusion of ,persons with ,disabilities in ,humanitarian ,action4 7b7 ,country-,specific and cultural considerations ,the ,secretary shall ensure that training for foreign service officers under subsection 7a7 should include country-specific and cultural considerations4 7c7 ,foreign ,service ,officers ,section #gjh7;a77#a7 of the ,foreign ,service ,act of #aihj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #djbh7;a77#a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by striking 2 and and inserting a semicolon2 7#b7 by redesignating subparagraph 7,d7 as subparagraph 7,e72 and 7#c7 by inserting after subparagraph 7,c7 the following new subparagraph3 7,d7 instruction on recognizing risks and vulnerabilities of individuals with disabilities in specific country contexts1 disability inclusion in policymaking and outreach at ,united ,states embassies and analysis of disability-inclusive laws and programming in local country contexts2 and 4 #g4 ,report and briefing requirements 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,state shall provide to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives a report and briefing on the steps taken to implement this ,act4 7b7 ,matters ,to be included ,the report and briefing required under subsection 7a7 shall include-- 7#a7 an explanation of policies and programs to fulfill-- 7,a7 the duties of the ,office of ,international ,disability ,rights established under section #d2 and 7,b7 the training requirements under section #f2 7#b7 a description of the status of efforts to mainstream disability rights throughout ,department of ,state programming without regard to whether such programming is specifically directed toward people with disabilities2 7#c7 an explanation of disability-specific programming across the ,department2 7#d7 a description of the status of accessible facilities in all foreign missions1 as required under section #e7;c72 7#e7 a description of any policy1 programming1 or human resources gaps to mainstreaming disability rights policy throughout the ,department1 and plans to address gaps through appropriate mechanisms2 7#f7 a description of progress made on the realization of the rights of people with disabilities as a result of ,department policies and programming2 7#g7 an explanation of the current status of the ,department's evidence gathering and improved systematic disability data collection1 including the use of disaggregated data1 in order to ensure that programming1 monitoring1 and reporting reflect and address the risks and needs of people with disabilities2 and 7#h7 recommendations for legislative actions to fully implement the matters described in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#g74