[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 26, 2005

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, today marks the fifteenth 
anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Signed into 
law by George H. W. Bush on July 26th in 1990, and enacted with 
bipartisan support in the Congress, the ADA served as the world's first 
comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities.
  Following in the footsteps of civil rights legislation from the 
1960s, this landmark legislation has sought to end discrimination 
against people with disabilities in the workplace and encourage full 
integration into American society, particularly through enabling 
independent living.
  In its fifteen years of existence, the ADA has accomplished much. 
Access ramps, curb cuts, Braille signs, and assistive listening devices 
at movie theaters now appear in communities around the country. Transit 
and communications systems have become more accessible. Indeed, the ADA 
has contributed to a greater awareness among Americans as to the needs 
and potential of people with disabilities.
  Yet despite this progress, I remain deeply concerned that the promise 
of the ADA has not been fulfilled for many of America's 54 million 
citizens with disabilities. For example, empirical evidence 
demonstrates that there has been little change in the employment rate 
of people with disabilities. Only 32 percent of working-age people with 
a disability are employed. Today, people with disabilities are three 
times more likely than those without disabilities to live in poverty. 
There is much progress still to be made.
  Unfortunately, in recent years the federal courts have narrowly 
interpreted the ADA and have not enforced key provisions of the Act, 
especially in regards to the workplace and the applicability of ADA to 
state law. Moreover, the Administration has proposed funding cuts to 
key programs--Section 8 housing, Medicaid, and vocational 
rehabilitation and assistive technology--which enable many people with 
disabilities to achieve self-sufficiency and live independently.
  On this anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act, we must 
make sure that we fulfill the promise made to our disabled brothers and 
sisters fifteen years ago. Indeed, the goals of the ADA could not be 
more pertinent than they are today, when thousands of soldiers are 
returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe injuries. It is my 
hope that we can move forward today to fully realize the goals of 
equality and integration set forth in the Americans with Disabilities 
Act.

                          ____________________