[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 119 (Monday, July 27, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE AMERICANS 
                         WITH DISABILITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 27, 2015

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 25th anniversary 
of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. On July 26, 
1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law and codified the 
prohibition of discrimination against people with disabilities in all 
areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and 
public and private places that are open to the general public.
  An individual with a disability is a person who has a physical or 
mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life 
activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having 
such impairment. Approximately 112,158 individuals of the population 
living within the 17th Congressional District have a disability. I am 
proud to represent them and to speak out today on a law that 
transformed our country.
  As a nation, America took another step on the pathway toward true 
equality during the late 1980s when the concept of federal legislation 
with the single, worthy goal of expanding civil rights protections to 
millions of Americans with disabilities gained bipartisan support.
  I applauded those advocates, such as former Senator Tom Harkin of 
Iowa, who first introduced the legislation on May 8, 1988. Those great 
people brought to life a vision of inclusion, access, and dignity. It 
is my hope we can today follow in their likeness and continue to 
protect the rights of all people.

                          ____________________