[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 121 (Thursday, July 25, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4934-H4935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           DISABILITY RIGHTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Fong). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Wexton) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader and staff for 
allowing me to participate in today's Special Order hour.
  Mr. Speaker, before I begin my speech, I yield to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and 
for her incredible leadership in this Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, as we approach the beginning of the Olympic Games, I 
want to extend my support and encouragement to the athletes 
representing their countries in the coming weeks. Among them are some 
outstanding athletes from the Second District of Massachusetts:
  Stephen Nedoroscik, who will compete for Team USA in gymnastics;
  Aaron Ortiz, who will compete for Team USA in a Muaythai match;
  Gabby Thomas, who will compete for Team USA in track; and
  Aisyah Rafaee, competing for Singapore as a rower.
  Mr. Speaker, the Olympics are a unifying moment for our country and 
the world. It is a time when we can set aside our differences and come 
together to cheer for those who represent the best in us.
  To Gabby, Stephen, Aisyah, Aaron, and all of the other athletes who 
have worked so hard to reach this milestone: Your journey to the 
Olympics is already a victory. We are so proud of all

[[Page H4935]]

of you, and we will be cheering for you every step of the way.
  Go Team USA.
  Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Disability Pride 
Month, celebrated each July to commemorate the Americans with 
Disabilities Act.
  It is hard to believe that the ADA will turn 34 years old tomorrow. I 
was in college when it passed in 1990. Today, an entire generation has 
never known life without the protections that exist because of the ADA.
  We have come a long way from the days when sidewalk curbs would 
routinely cause insurmountable challenges for Americans in wheelchairs, 
and now accommodation is the rule, not the exception.
  As a new member of the differently-abled community, I believe it is 
important not only to celebrate how far we have come, but also to 
recognize how far we still have to go.
  The issue of disability rights and accessibility has been one I have 
worked on closely since my first days in public office. When I served 
in the Virginia State Senate back in 2015, I worked alongside Conner 
Cummings, a young Virginian with autism who lived in my district, and 
his mom, Sharon, to pass Conner's Law, legislation that closed a 
loophole and extended parental support for severely disabled and 
special needs children over the age of 18, giving relief to single 
parents.
  I have had the pleasure of welcoming Conner and Sharon to Capitol 
Hill to testify on the impact of Conner's Law for families like theirs 
and the need to replicate it in States across the country.

                              {time}  1145

  The proudest vote I took in the State senate was in 2018, when we 
voted finally to expand Medicaid in Virginia. Through this monumental 
action, we extended affordable healthcare access to hundreds of 
thousands of the most vulnerable Virginians, including many of those 
living with disabilities.
  That is also why I fought so hard once I came to Congress to 
successfully protect and expand the Affordable Care Act, including 
preventing insurance companies from discriminating against people with 
preexisting conditions and defending the elimination of lifetime caps 
on coverage, which would be devastating for families of those with 
disabilities.
  In fact, the very first constituent meeting I took when I came to 
Washington in 2019 was with the Little Lobbyists, a group of families 
with young children with complex medical needs and disabilities. I 
invited one of those families to be my guest at the State of the Union 
in 2020 to highlight just how important fighting back against efforts 
to undermine the ACA was for families like theirs.
  Over the past year, the fight for disability rights has become a 
personal one. My battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, 
has robbed me of my ability to use my full voice and move around in the 
ways that I used to. Rather than striding confidently onto the House 
floor to vote, I gratefully accept rides across Independence Avenue--
and, yes, I get the irony--from my office to the Capitol. I rely on a 
walker to get around, and in all likelihood, before my term ends, I 
will appear on the House floor for votes in a wheelchair.
  I can no longer give the same kind of impassioned, impromptu speeches 
during debates on the floor or in committee hearings. This very 
impressive AI re-creation of my voice does the public speaking for me 
now. I found myself understanding firsthand just a fraction of the 
challenges that so many Americans live with each day.
  It has been a big adjustment for me, for my family, for my team, and 
for my colleagues who have known me for years and have had to watch me 
go through these challenges, but mine is not a unique story. Millions 
of Americans face challenges that make it harder to move, speak, act, 
or otherwise live their day-to-day lives, but that disability does not 
define who they are.
  I certainly have not allowed my new challenges to define me. This is 
not a situation I would have chosen to find myself in. I never thought 
that, at my age and otherwise good health, something like PSP could, in 
the space of just over a year, rob me of my ability to speak, run, or 
dance, and force me to stop doing the job that I love.
  I also never expected to be in a position to make history by being 
the first Member to use an augmentative and alternative communication 
device, or AAC device, on the House floor. I used to be one of those 
people who hated the sound of my voice. When my ads came on TV, I would 
cringe and change the channel, but you truly don't know what you have 
until it is gone because hearing the new AI of my old voice for the 
first time was music to my ears. It was the most beautiful thing I had 
ever heard, and I cried tears of joy.
  I am not going to sugarcoat the difficulties I have faced the past 
year, but what has brought me a renewed sense of determination is the 
opportunity to use this unique platform to try to help others.
  The supportive messages I have received have been overwhelming, 
especially from those facing similar speaking or movement challenges 
who see someone like me, who just happens to be in the spotlight, 
persevere in the same ways that they are.
  I am not doing it for praise or admiration, but I do hope that when 
people see me continuing to do all I can to keep living my life and 
doing this job I love as best I can, they understand and appreciate the 
courage, resilience, and spirit that so many Americans of differing 
abilities demonstrate each and every day.
  I hope I can be a voice, even an AI voice, for Americans facing 
accessibility challenges and other disabilities because, too often, 
people only see us for that disability. In truth, we are so much more.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this 
Disability Pride Month and in celebrating the strength and perseverance 
of the disability community.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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