[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. WILLIAM J. JEFFERSON

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 26, 2005

  Mr. JEFFERSON. Mr. Speaker, fifteen years ago--on July 26, 1990--our 
great Nation made a promise to the disabled community that we have a 
moral obligation to keep. We said no to discrimination. We said no to 
sanctioned inequality. We said yes to inclusion and equality.
  Today marks the 15th Anniversary of the enactment of the Americans 
with Disabilities Act (ADA), the most sweeping civil rights legislation 
since the Civil Rights Act.
  I am immensely proud to have been a part of reauthorization efforts 
of this important legislation, and I will never forget all of the 
advocates for the disabled at the signing ceremony on the South Lawn at 
the White House,
  This landmark law sent an unmistakable message: It is unacceptable to 
discriminate against someone simply because they have a disability. 
Moreover, it is illegal--in employment, in transportation, in public 
accommodations, and in telecommunications.
  The ADA recognized that the disabled belong to the American family; 
that a disability need not be disabling. Disabled Americans can share 
in all our Nation has to offer--equality of opportunity, full 
participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.
  Over the last 15 years, the ADA has allowed hundreds of thousands of 
Americans to join the workforce, attend school, travel, or drive a 
car--many for the first time in their lives. The ramps, curb cuts, 
Braille signs, and captioned television programs that were once novel 
are now ubiquitous.
  However, the first 15 years of the ADA have not been without 
challenge. Too often, the intent of the ADA has been misconstrued by 
our courts, which have given it a narrow construction that its authors 
never intended.
  To date, people with diabetes, heart conditions, cancer and mental 
illnesses have had their ADA claims kicked out of court because, with 
improvements in medication, they are considered too functional to be 
considered disabled.
  Together, these decisions represent a dangerous chipping away at the 
foundation of equality which we poured 15 years ago when the ADA was 
enacted. And they are a reminder as we commemorate this 15th 
Anniversary that our work is not done.
  This is clearly not what Congress intended when it passed the ADA and 
the first President Bush signed it into law. We intended the law to be 
given a broad construction, not a narrow one.
  Today, let us renew our commitment to the principles and spirit of 
the ADA--a law that befits our great Nation, which stands for liberty 
and freedom. Today, let's commit to keep the promise we made when we 
enacted the ADA, because while its promise remains unfulfilled, it 
still is within reach.
  Thus, I join my Congressional colleagues and demand that we commit 
ourselves to expanding opportunities for individuals with disabilities 
and all Americans. Only then will we live up to the ideals of equality 
and opportunity.

                          ____________________