This bill was introduced in the Senate on December 19, 2024. It is the sense of Congress that, since international disability rights is foundational to development, national security, and economic outcomes, disability inclusion should be mainstreamed through all foreign assistance and programming. The Secretary of State should develop and adopt a formal policy for disability inclusion in United States foreign assistance programming and ensure that such policy implemented in the Foreign Affairs Manual. The Secretary of State should establish an Office of International Disability Rights (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Office’’) and which should be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large. The Office should coordinate efforts of the United States Government, as directed by the Secretary, regarding human rights for people with disabilities and advancing the status of people with disabilities in United States foreign policy. The Under Secretary of State for Management should, in consultation with the Office of International Disability Rights, prioritize in the hiring and recruitment and overseas assignments, the accessibility practices of civil service employees and Foreign Service officers with disabilities and their family members with chronic medical conditions or disabilities.
