[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E739-E740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 2023

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today, I wish to commemorate the 
33rd anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities 
Act, or ADA. This core civil rights law prohibits discrimination 
against Americans with disabilities by requiring public and private 
institutions to provide equal access to goods, services, and 
opportunities, such as employment, public transportation, and 
telecommunication.
  Today, 1-in-4 U.S. adults has a disability that substantially impacts 
life. The law provides a framework to make the United States fully-
accessible to tens of millions of Americans, whether in workplaces, 
housing, schools, transit, or businesses. I applaud the successes that 
the disability advocates have secured over the past decades. We know 
the passage of the ADA law was the beginning and not the end. According 
the Federal Transit Administration, 99 percent of all busses are ADA-
accessible, in contrast to just 65 percent prior to the ADA. However, 
we still have metros, trains, and planes that are not accessible. A 
2020 GAO report found that two-thirds of school districts had 
facilities with barriers that could limit access for people with 
disabilities. We also know that advocates have waged and continue to 
wage the legal battles to improve access to buildings and 
transportation that should have occurred 33 years ago.
  Although disability advocates have secured important accomplishments 
over the past decades, much more is needed to achieve an equitable 
society for Americans with disabilities. Americans with disabilities 
face an unemployment rate of 6.8 percent compared to 3.7 percent for 
their peers without disabilities. According to a new analysis by the 
National Partnership for Women & Families: only 36 percent of

[[Page E740]]

women with disabilities are employed compared to 70 percent of 
nondisabled women; only 31 percent of employed women with disabilities 
are economically secure; and American Indian/Alaska Native and Black 
women with disabilities are the least likely to be employed. These gaps 
reveal unacceptable disparities in employment opportunities. 
Furthermore, Americans with disabilities face barriers to receiving 
quality health care, such as service providers with inadequate training 
on how to properly treat patients with disabilities and medical 
facilities that have yet to make appropriate accommodations. Affordable 
housing, businesses, airplanes, bathrooms, and playgrounds still are 
not uniformly accessible. This restricted access reduces quality of 
life and presents obstacles that none of us should tolerate.
  I am proud that I helped improve health care for those with 
disabilities during my tenure in Congress, including provisions in the 
Affordable Care Act that I championed to encourage community-based 
services for individuals with disabilities. We must continue to work to 
make choice for receiving care in one's community mandatory, not just 
optional. People should have the freedom to choose where they live and 
receive care. I am proud that I also have helped strengthen Medicare, 
Medicaid, and ACA marketplace health insurance to improve healthcare 
for Americans, including people with disabilities. For example, a 
recent study by researchers at the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (Creedon, Zuvekas, Hill, Ali, McClellan, & Day, December 2022, 
Health Services Review, Volume 57, Issue S2) found that adults with 
disabilities who were newly-eligible for Medicaid experienced 
significant increases in health coverage, receipt of primary care 
services, and lower out-of-pocket costs from the federal expansion of 
Medicaid via the Affordable Care Act. Further, the Inflation Reduction 
Act expanded premium tax credits and reduced drug prices to further 
lower healthcare costs.
  I am proud that so many organizations and advocates in Illinois 
actively fight to protect Americans with disabilities. For example, 
Access Living is a Chicago-based, advocacy nonprofit that has worked 
for over 4 decades to increase accessibility to transportation, 
housing, and education. The Legal Council for Health Justice uses legal 
services to dismantle barriers to healthcare and to help individuals 
access services and benefits. Equip for Equality serves as a federally-
mandated legal advocate and watchdog. The Arc of Illinois advocates for 
people with disabilities to so that Illinoisans can fully participate 
in their communities, providing education and advocacy services. 
Chicago ADAPT promotes disability and civil rights, be in through 
housing accessibility, workforce accessibility and equity, or promoting 
community-based care. And, the City of Chicago's HomeMod program 
removes barriers to housing by working with home remodeling companies 
to provide home accessibility modifications.
  Every American deserves equal opportunity. The Americans with 
Disabilities Act stands as testament to the determination and 
unrelenting will of thousands of activists, advocates, and 
policymakers. As we celebrate its anniversary, I renew my commitment to 
fight to realize the fundamental right of every American to an 
accessible America.

                          ____________________