Sixty years ago, the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) set about their task of enumerating the rights all humans were entitled to as citizens of the world. Led by the visionary Eleanor Roosevelt, they drew upon a host of sources – from philosophers to revolutionaries to religious leaders and from every part of the world. They also drew upon a document that had already been in existence for almost thirty years – the Constitution of the International Labor Organization (ILO) adopted as part of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I.

Much of my work with Active Grey Matter revolves around article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family”, as well as article 23, which affirms the right to work, as well as to “equal pay for equal work” and “just and favorable remuneration.”

The right to work and access to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of all is sorely needed for people with chronic or disabling conditions, many of whom fall into poverty as a result of limited employment options. People with chronic or disabling conditions face the largest unemployment percentage of all minority groups, and declining economic conditions have reduced or eliminated workforce supports to facilitate their return to work.

I hope you’ll join with us in working to change that in 2009, because every human has rights worth fighting for.