[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 27, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOHN A. BOEHNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 26, 2010

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join the Speaker and the 
Majority Leader in recognizing the 20th Anniversary of the Americans 
with Disabilities Act.
  First, I want to applaud you, Mr. Speaker, for making history today 
as the first American with disabilities to preside over this 
distinguished body. It is a truly inspiring sight and a reminder that 
the disabled are, of course, among the most active and functional 
members of our society. It is also a testament to the historic measure 
we are celebrating today.
  I also want to commend my friend from Maryland, the Majority Leader, 
who I know played a leading role in making this legislation a reality, 
and in ensuring that we come together across the aisle when necessary 
to make certain it continues to fulfill its original mission.
  Before the Americans with Disabilities Act, nowhere in the world was 
there a comprehensive declaration of equality for people with 
disabilities.
  In the medical community, people with disabilities are called 
``HANDY-CAPABLE'' because they strive and succeed in the face of great 
personal obstacles.
  There was a time, however, when that courage alone could not get them 
into their hometown theatres to see a movie, or their office buildings 
to apply for a job and provide for their families.
  Those wrongs were corrected on July 26, 1990 when President George 
H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law on the 
South Lawn of the White House.
  On that day, President Bush noted that it was roughly a year after 
the Berlin Wall came down and said that this legislation ``takes a 
sledgehammer to another wall, one which has for too many generations 
separated Americans with disabilities from the freedom they could 
glimpse, but not grasp.''
  For too long, our Nation kept Americans with disabilities dependent 
when all they yearned for was independence. The Americans with 
Disabilities Act has given them the tools to do just that--to quench 
their thirst for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It has 
changed the lives of millions, and it will continue to do so for 
generations to come.

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