[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 12, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1022-E1023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CAROLYN McCARTHY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 11, 2002

  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, the Americans with 
Disabilities Act will celebrate its 12th anniversary on July 26, 2002. 
The importance and significance of this Act, and its impact on the 
lives of individuals with disabilities, is certainly remarkable and 
noteworthy.
  Prior to the passage of the Act, it was common place to dismiss 
qualified job applicants on the grounds of their disability, or for 
disabled individuals to be effectively excluded from the mainstream of 
American life. With the passage of the Americans with Disability Act 12 
years ago, however, we now have the most comprehensive Federal civil-
rights statute protecting the rights of people with disabilities.
  This Act ended the discrimination faced daily by the disabled by 
requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations for affected 
workers and assisted the disabled to become an active member of society 
by requiring public services, such as mass transportation, to be just 
as accessible to people with disabilities as they are to able-bodied 
people.
  Since its inception, the Act has withstood various attacks based on 
myth and half-truth, the very basis of which affirms the need for

[[Page E1023]]

the ADA. I was pleased to learn that a 1996 poll by the United Cerebral 
Palsy Foundation indicated that 75% of respondents believed public 
attitudes towards disabilities and the disabled had changed since the 
Act was introduced. The greatest barrier to many talented individuals 
achieving their goals is the very perception of their disability, and 
that is why we must continually work to remove these barriers.
  As a nurse for 30 years, I agree more needs to be done to remove 
barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating 
in society. I understand that although education and employment 
opportunities have improved since the Act's inception, our work is not 
yet finished. I congratulate those who worked so hard to make the Act a 
reality as well as the continued efforts of so many to press for 
further improvements.
  Mr. Speaker, whether in the case of an athlete, a school child or an 
adult pursuing a new career path, I believe this Act has been an 
invaluable tool and a demonstration of a more mature, compassionate and 
understanding, American society. I am honored to be in a position to 
celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act and to play a part in 
ensuring its continuing legacy remains.

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