[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 26, 2010

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 20th 
Anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 
1990, which I deem to be one of the greatest civil rights laws ever 
passed by our Congress.
  Since the establishment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, more 
than 50 million Americans are able to more wholly enjoy their lives, 
thanks to the ongoing elimination of barriers on employment, public 
services, transportation, telecommunications and public accommodations.
  Prior to the passage of this Act, our disabled American citizens--
wounded warrior veterans, men, women and children--faced higher rates 
of poverty, lower graduation rates, significantly lower unemployment 
rates and were too often denied their right to fully participate in 
society.
  This Act made vital changes, prohibiting discriminating against 
qualified individuals with disabilities in the workplace; requiring 
state and local government entities to accommodate qualified 
individuals with disabilities; providing better access to many modes of 
public transportation; and requiring places of public accommodation to 
make their goods and services easily accessible to the disabled.
  While many great changes have been instituted since the passage of 
this act, there is still a lot of work to be done. In a nation as great 
as ours, it is a stunning reality that our disabled grandparents and 
parents, sons and daughters, and the wounded warriors who have so 
bravely served around the globe to preserve democracy and promote 
freedom, continue to struggle with inequalities that do not have to 
exist.
  I'm putting the Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program to work in our 
area to provide an employment opportunity for a wounded or disabled 
veteran living in southern West Virginia. There are 170,783 veterans in 
West Virginia--51,500 in our Congressional District alone--and that 
number is growing exponentially every day. These brave men and women 
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan face a 21 percent unemployment 
rate; add to that fact, the vulnerable position as a wounded or 
disabled soldier, and we know the challenges to secure a good paying 
job grow tremendously.
  It is our duty as leaders to support each and every one of our 
disabled Americans. While I salute this historic piece of legislation, 
I continue to work on a bipartisan basis, to help identify and address 
the remaining barriers against the disabled, which truly undermine 
America's goals and the ideals upon which our great country was 
founded.

                          ____________________