[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 113 (Tuesday, July 26, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S4906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, July 26, 1990, 21 years ago today, was a 
great day in our Nation's history. When President George Herbert Walker 
Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, we could see the 
future before us, full of possibility and opportunity for people with 
disabilities. It was one of the proudest days of my legislative career.
  The Americans with Disabilities Act is one of the landmark civil 
rights laws of the 20th century--a long-overdue emancipation 
proclamation for Americans with disabilities. The ADA has played a huge 
role in making our country more accessible, in raising the expectations 
of people with disabilities about what they can hope to achieve at work 
and in life, and in inspiring the world to view disability issues 
through the lens of equality and opportunity.
  In these times of often bitter political partisanship, it is valuable 
to remember that passage of the original Americans with Disabilities 
Act was a robustly bipartisan effort. As chief sponsor of the ADA in 
the Senate, I worked very closely with Senator Bob Dole and others on 
both sides of the aisle. We received invaluable support from President 
George Herbert Walker Bush and key members of his administration, 
including White House counsel Boyden Gray, Attorney General Richard 
Thornburgh, and Transportation Secretary Sam Skinner. Other Members of 
Congress also played critical roles in passing the ADA--first and 
foremost, Senator Ted Kennedy; but also Senator Orrin Hatch, and 
Representatives Tony Coelho, Steny Hoyer, Major Owens, and Steve 
Bartlett.
  Before the ADA, life was very different for folks with disabilities 
in Iowa and across the country. Being an American with a disability 
meant not being able to ride a bus because there was no lift, not being 
able to attend a concert or ballgame because there was no accessible 
seating, and not being able to cross the street in a wheelchair because 
there were no curb cuts. In short, it meant not being able to work or 
participate in community life. Discrimination was both commonplace and 
accepted.
  Since then, we have seen amazing progress. The ADA literally 
transformed the American landscape by requiring that architectural and 
communications barriers be removed and replaced with accessible 
features such as ramps, lifts, curb cuts, widening doorways, and closed 
captioning. More importantly, the ADA gave millions of Americans the 
opportunity to participate in their communities. We have made 
substantial progress in advancing the four goals of the ADA--equality 
of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic 
self-sufficiency.
  But despite this progress, we still have more work to do. One of the 
critical challenges we still need to address is the persistently low 
employment rates among Americans with disabilities. According to the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than a third of working-age people 
with disabilities--around 4 million individuals--are currently 
employed.
  This is shameful, and we need to do better. In April, at a disability 
employment summit, I challenged the employer representatives in the 
room to work to increase the size of the disability labor force by 1 
million individuals by 2015. Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber 
of Commerce, endorsed this goal and encouraged his colleagues to meet 
or exceed the 1 million number because ``it's a good thing to do, and 
it's good for business.''
  But if we are going to get serious about growing the size of the 
disability work force, we need to start by recognizing that people with 
disabilities have been disproportionately impacted by the bad economy. 
Compared to the general workforce, in the last 2 years, adults with 
disabilities have left the labor force at a rate six times the rate of 
adults without disabilities.
  I am committed to doing everything within my power to turn these 
trends around, and to increase employment opportunities for all 
individuals with disabilities.
  If all of us--Members of Congress, business leaders, employers, and 
people with disabilities--work together, I believe that we can meet the 
goal of 1 million new workers with disabilities--and ensure that all 
individuals with disabilities have real opportunities for employment 
that meet their goals, interests, and high expectations.
  I would like to take a brief moment on this ADA anniversary to 
remember a leader in the disability community who recently passed 
away--Max Starkloff.
  Max, who acquired his disability at age 21, was a well-known advocate 
for disability rights, both in his hometown of St. Louis, MO, and 
nationally.
  In the 1970s, while still living in a nursing home, Max founded 
Paraquad, which became one of the first Centers for Independent Living 
in this country. Max began his lifetime of advocacy for the rights and 
independence of people with disabilities long before the ADA, and 
continued it all the way up until his recent passing.
  The examples of his advocacy are too numerous to catalogue, but here 
are a few examples:
  In 1972, he convinced St. Louis officials to install curb cuts in 
sidewalks.
  In 1977, Max's advocacy led to the use of lift-equipped buses in the 
St. Louis metro area.
  In 1979, Max helped to integrate accessible design in an apartment 
complex that he and Paraquad opened in St. Louis, including counters 
that could be moved up and down to accommodate wheelchairs, wide 
doorways, and stoves that could be used by individuals with limited 
mobility.
  Max, and his wife Colleen, worked tirelessly for the passage of the 
ADA in 1990.
  In 1997, Max's advocacy over a two year period resulted in the St. 
Louis Zoo making their facilities accessible for all.
  Most recently, Max devoted himself to an issue that is near and dear 
to my heart--improving employment opportunities for individuals with 
disabilities.
  Although Max Starkloff is no longer with us, his accomplishments and 
good work live on, and improve the lives of Missourians with 
disabilities on a daily basis.
  So as we celebrate the anniversary of this great civil rights law, we 
take time to remember the remarkable progress that we have made in the 
past 21 years.
  On July 26, 1990, when he signed ADA into law, President George 
Herbert Walker Bush spoke with great eloquence. And I will never forget 
his final words before taking up his pen. He said, ``Let the shameful 
wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.''
  Mr. President, today, that wall is indeed falling. And we must join 
together, on a bipartisan basis, to continue this progress.

                          ____________________