Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hi I'm Senator Tom Harkin
As we all know this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
As the chief sponsor of the ADA in the Senate
I will always remember the day it was signed into law
July 26th 1990
as one of the proudest in my legislative career
How far we've come
Before the ADA life was very different for people with disabilities
and discrimination was both commonplace and accepted
I will always remember the hearings we had in both the Senate and the House
The dramatic and disturbing testimony of how individuals with disabilities struggled
because of this discrimination
We heard stories of individuals who had to crawl on their hands and knees to go up a flight
of stairs
Or to gain access to their local swimming pool
Stories of individuals who couldn't ride on a bus because there wasn't a lift
Stories of individuals who couldn't go to concerts or ball games with their family
because
there was no accessible seating
Stories about individuals who cannot even cross the street in their wheelchairs because well
there were no curb cuts
Millions of stories of Americans who were denied access to their own communities
and to the American dream
Over the last two decades we have made some truly amazing progress
Streets,
buildings, sports arenas, transportation systems are more accessible for people with physical impairments
Information is offered in alternative formats
so it's usable by individuals with visual
or hearing-impairments
Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations so that people with disabilities
can have equal opportunity
in the workplace
These changes are all around us
and they're so integrated into our daily lives now that it's sometimes hard to remember how
the world was before the ADA
Just as important
we have seen an enormous change in attitudes towards people with disabilities
Our expectation is that we will do what it takes
to give individuals with disabilities
not just physical access
but equal opportunity
in our schools
our workplaces
in all areas of our economy
and society
Today we recognize that people with disabilities like all people
have unique abilities
talents and aptitudes
and America is better and fairer and richer
when we make full use of those gifts
Every individual with a disability
deserves a chance to realize
the four
great goals
of the ADA
Equal opportunity
Full participation
Independent living
And economic self-sufficiency
However
progress under the ADA only happens when people
people like you
understand what the law requires
and then choose to make it a priority
to ensure that individuals with disabilities are included in all aspects of community life
it's one thing for people with disabilities to have rights on paper
and a very different thing to enjoy those rights in every day practice
especially in their communities
and in the workplace
It is an ongoing fight
a never-ending struggle
to vindicate those rights
So to those of you who are on the front lines in this struggle
I thank you for the work you do every day
to insure that ADA is alive and vibrant in your communities
opening doors of opportunity
and breaking down barriers of discrimination
Together we can help insure a continued future of inclusion
equality
and opportunity
for all Americans