[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 29, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H5655-H5657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ADA'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 6, 2015, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, before I begin my remarks, it is my
pleasure to yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the
distinguished minority whip.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
First, let me mention the extraordinary respect I have for the
gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin).
I had the honor of sponsoring the Americans with Disabilities Act in
1989 and 1990. We passed it in 1990, and it was signed by then-
President George H.W. Bush. It was called the Americans with
Disabilities Act, Mr. Speaker, but in many ways it should have been
called the Americans with Abilities Act. It should have been called
that because its intent was to focus on what people could do, what
people would do, what people wanted to do.
Mr. Langevin is a perfect example of an extraordinary person with
great ability who has a wheelchair. He has a wheelchair because he has
a mobility impairment that others of us don't have. But as we have seen
in serving with our colleague Jim Langevin from Rhode Island, he is
extraordinarily able and he represents his constituency with great
energy, with great intellect, and with great integrity. So I am pleased
to join him in this Special Order.
We had introduced a resolution, but it is not the practice of the
House to bring commemorative resolutions to the floor. So we do this
Special Order in addition to what we would have hoped would have been
the passage of a resolution, but I understand that is the practice.
The Senate did in fact pass a resolution, sponsored by Orrin Hatch,
Patricia Murray from Washington State, and Lamar Alexander,
commemorating 25 years of progress on the inclusion of those with a
challenge that others might not have in our society, all that our
society offers and the opportunities that it offers.
Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on numerous occasions over this last week
commemorating the ADA, and I have mentioned a number of names. I would
like to do that on the floor of this House, because they were people
who were absolutely critical. It is not a comprehensive list. It is,
however, a list of people with whom I worked very closely for well over
a year on the passage of the ADA.
First, I would like to mention President George H.W. Bush. This issue
was not a partisan issue. President Bush was a Republican; I was a
Democrat--and still am. I worked with an extraordinary Republican
Member of the House. His name was Steve Bartlett. He was from Texas. He
left the House and became mayor of Dallas. He is now still in
Washington, working, and we are partners. Every time something happens
with respect to the ADA, Steve Bartlett and I work together on it.
Dave Capozzi and Tony Coelho. Tony Coelho, a Member of this body, was
a person perceived with the disease of epilepsy, but he is one of the
most able people that any of us know. Tony Coelho, along with Lowell
Weicker, were the original two sponsors of the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
Justin Dart. In 1983, Justin Dart visited every State in the Union in
his wheelchair, calling attention to State legislatures, Governors, and
others of the importance of ensuring the accessibility of places of
opportunity for those with disabilities. Yoshiko Dart, his wife, was
with him every step of the way and was with us as we worked for the
passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
And then we have an extraordinary legislator--one of the best
legislators that I have served with, Mr. Speaker--Bob Dole, a
Republican from Kansas, majority and minority leader of the United
States Senate. Mr. Speaker, when he came to the Senate of the United
States, his first speech was about including those with disabilities.
He observed that he was an involuntary member of those with
disabilities as a result of his extraordinary war wounds in Italy in
World War II.
We have Chai Feldblum, who is now on the EEOC and a professor at
Georgetown Law School. She was counsel to myself and Steve Bartlett as
we considered the complex issues and tried to make sure that ADA could
be implemented by all in a way that was affordable and reasonable for
them.
We then have Lex Frieden, who is the executive director of the
National Council on Disabilities, who worked so closely with us. Also,
Boyden Gray, counsel to George Bush, who was a critical ally in this
effort.
Then we have a giant in this effort, Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa,
who, after Lowell Weicker left, was the principal sponsor of the ADA
and fought hard and effectively on its behalf.
Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy. Senator Kennedy and Senator Hatch were
partners in so many different things, but on this they were aligned and
made this bipartisan effort a very successful one.
Also, Arlene Mayerson; Paul Marchand; former Congressman and now
Senator Ed Markey; Senator John McCain; Congressman Norman Mineta;
Ralph Neas; Katie Neas; Carolyn Osolinik; Becky Ogle; Lee Page; Liz
Savage; Bobby Silverstein. Like Melissa Schulman who was my chief
staffer as we considered the Americans with Disabilities Act, Bobby
Silverstein was Tom Harkin's chief staffer.
Jim Sensenbrenner, our colleague today. Congressman Sensenbrenner was
so critical, along with his wife, Cheryl Sensenbrenner, who, herself,
suffered from a disability and showed such courage in encouraging all
of us to support the Americans with Disabilities Act.
I mentioned Lowell Weicker. Lowell Weicker was a Senator from
Connecticut and then Governor of Connecticut; Bob Williams, who was an
extraordinary individual who worked so hard; John Wodatch; and last,
but certainly not least, Patricia Wright.
There were literally, Mr. Speaker, thousands of others, many of whom
will not be known but who came here to the Congress of the United
States, wrote their Members, called them up, and came to town meetings
and forums on behalf of those with disabilities.
The Americans with Disabilities Act is now used as a sample and has
been adopted in some 50 countries throughout the world, perhaps more.
There is a disabilities rights convention, which is pending. Only three
countries in the world have not signed on to that convention.
Unfortunately, we are one. I would hope that the Senate would do that
in this Congress. Senator Bob Dole has been an extraordinary proponent
of that convention.
So, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my friend, James Langevin, who
has been a beneficiary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the
reasonable accommodations that we ask to be
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effected so that Jim Langevin could get through the door, could get on
the elevator, could get into this Chamber. And, Mr. Speaker, there is a
lift on the rostrum on which you now sit so that James Langevin would
be able to preside, if that were in order. In fact, he has been up
there and has presided. That is called a reasonable accommodation. And
because of those reasonable accommodations, this Congress, his State,
and our country have been advantaged.
Mr. Speaker, I think when we end our careers, most of us who were
involved in the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act will
look back on the adoption of it overwhelmingly by this Congress in a
bipartisan fashion and the signing of that act by President George Bush
as one of our most important contributions and achievements during our
service in the Congress of the United States.
I thank Mr. Langevin for his extraordinary example for all those in
our country to look at the abilities, not the disabilities.
Mr. LANGEVIN. I thank the gentleman. Let me express my profound
gratitude to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the
distinguished minority whip, for his kind words, Mr. Speaker, but most
especially because of his extraordinary commitment and the work that he
put in, along with countless others, to actually pass the Americans
with Disabilities Act and seeing it signed into law.
As the gentleman from Maryland stated, Mr. Speaker, that law has had
a profound impact on my life and on countless other lives--and will for
generations to come. I thank the gentleman for his extraordinary work.
Let me also thank the extraordinary list of individuals that the
distinguished gentleman from Maryland just read off, some of whom I
have had the absolute distinct honor and privilege to meet and to thank
personally, and many of whom I will never have the privilege of
actually knowing or meeting personally because many have also passed
on.
{time} 1830
They made an extraordinary difference in the lives of millions of
people, as I said, both now and in future generations to come; and it
is with profound gratitude that I thank them for their work.
Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday marked the 25th anniversary of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, a tremendous milestone for one of the
most significant civil rights laws of the 20th century.
As a Member of Congress, as co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities
Caucus and someone who has lived with the challenges of a disability,
both before and after the ADA's enactment in 1990, I have experienced
firsthand the profound changes that this law has affected within our
society.
When I was paralyzed at the age of 16, my life changed forever. As I
lay in my hospital bed, I wondered what life could possibly have in
store for me next, but I drew strength and inspiration from other
people with disabilities who had accomplished both great things and
small. They taught me that there was life after a disability.
I was also incredibly fortunate to have the support of my family and
my community, whose generosity and concern ultimately made me want to
give back to Rhode Island through a career in public service, but
accessibility was not yet considered a civil right at that time, and I
know many people with disabilities were not as fortunate as I was.
So many passionate advocates and champions like Mr. Hoyer fought for
the rights and protections enshrined in this law. For all of us, the
ADA has been a profoundly life-altering act that has provided new
opportunities and fundamentally changed the way society views and
treats people with disabilities.
The ADA has broken down physical and psychological barriers. It has
opened up opportunities to education, employment, and technology. It
has made public transportation more accommodating, improved voting
accessibility, and expanded inclusion and justice for millions.
At its core, this groundbreaking legislation codified the correct
collective ideal that no one should suffer discrimination because of a
disability.
Mr. Speaker, it was with this same conviction that I was pleased to
support the passage of the ADA Amendments Act in 2008, after a number
of court decisions diluted the definition of what constituted a
disability.
When that law was signed into effect, I had the privilege of being
with Mr. Hoyer and several of the other champions of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the original enactment, original authors of the ADA,
including Senator Harkin and Cheryl Sensenbrenner.
I also had the privilege of meeting President George H.W. Bush and be
with his son, President George W. Bush, as President George W. Bush
signed that bill into law. It was such an honor for me to be able to
personally thank President George H.W. Bush personally for his support
and leadership in seeing the original ADA signed into law.
Now, when the ADA Amendments Act was passed, these rulings,
effectively, the Court rulings that took place necessitating this act
effectively limited the ADA's coverage and excluded people with
disabling conditions that were not readily visible or apparent, like
epilepsy, MS, and various developmental disabilities.
The ADA Amendments Act reaffirmed the protections of the ADA and
upheld the ideals of equality and opportunity on which this country was
founded. As a result of these efforts, I am proud that future
generations will live in a world that is more inclusive, more
accessible, and increasingly recognizes the unique talents and
abilities of individuals with disabilities.
As we celebrate our accomplishments, so must we recognize that our
work is not finished. Equal employment opportunities and fully
integrated community living have not yet been entirely realized.
In fact, recent data shows that 31 percent of disabled individuals
live below the poverty line, and less than 34 percent are fully
employed.
Mr. Speaker, as a nation, we can do better, and we must. It is more
important than ever that we educate businesses and connect them with
proper resources to create more employment opportunities. Many people
with disabilities have both the desire and the capability to work, as
well as exceptional talents to offer.
Mr. Speaker, let us not see those talents go to waste. I have often
said, Mr. Speaker, that people with disabilities are still one of this
Nation's greatest untapped resources, and we need to tap into that
talent to see our Nation grow even further.
Mr. Speaker, their divergent backgrounds, unique experiences and
wide-ranging talents promote a culture of diversity that doesn't just
play a role in the workplace, but also influences the very nature of
our society. With proper awareness, accommodation, and investment, our
economy and society can reap countless rewards.
We must also ensure that transportation is available and accessible
to everyone so that they can get to their jobs, the doctor, or the
grocery store.
I have often said that it doesn't do anyone any good if they can
actually apply for a job and get the job, but can't get to the job, so
that needs to improve.
To help us realize this goal, I have introduced the Transit
Accessibility Innovation Act, legislation that would create a
competitive grant program to encourage transit systems to make public
transportation more accessible and user friendly.
Mr. Speaker, accessible public transportation is essential in order
for people with disabilities to live independently and with full
inclusion in their communities. By improving these services, we can
improve the quality of life for countless individuals and families.
Mr. Speaker, to further promote independence, we must also ensure
that family caregivers of people with disabilities have greater access
to critical services like respite care. Respite care provides temporary
relief to family members engaged in the full-time task of caring for
their aging or disabled loved ones with special needs.
Mr. Speaker, these caregivers, I have often said, are unsung heroes.
These caregivers devote so much of their time, energy, and love to
their families, but in many cases, they can be often unprepared for
these new responsibilities, and the challenges that they
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face can be daunting, from employment difficulties, to financial
challenges, to depression and family stress.
Very often, though, with just a little bit of assistance, they can
continue to be extraordinary caregivers and fulfill all of the other
challenges and responsibilities that a family requires.
That is why I have introduced and I have championed the Lifespan
Respite Care Act, Mr. Speaker, with my friend and former Republican
colleague, Mike Ferguson from New Jersey.
Mr. Speaker, that law, it passed into law in 2006 and has already
provided grants to 32 States and the District of Columbia to help set
up respite care networks for families in need.
Mr. Speaker, I continue to push for that program's reauthorization,
and I included it in the Military and Veteran Caregiver Services
Improvement Act that I introduced in April to strengthen the support
services for family caregivers of injured and disabled veterans. I
think this is an important thing that we can do for our veterans.
We have come far, Mr. Speaker, since the passage of the ADA, but we
still have much more work ahead. Disabilities don't discriminate on the
basis of party affiliation, income level, or gender; instead, they can
happen to anyone at any time. I believe, Mr. Speaker, that they also
have the unique ability to unite us in common purpose.
As we celebrate the silver anniversary of the ADA together, we must
use this as a call to action and to reaffirm our commitment to equal
opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-
sufficiency for people with disabilities everywhere.
Let me close, Mr. Speaker, by thanking the many champions and the
advocates and many unsung heroes who made the ADA possible and saw it
through the legislative process and put it on the desk of President
George H.W. Bush, who signed it into law and changed the lives of
people with disabilities everywhere forever.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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