[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19410]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING AND HONORING THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE 
                AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SHERROD BROWN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 29, 2005

  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, the Americans with Disabilities Act 
of 1990 is one of the major civil rights victories of the past half-
century. The ADA ensures that governments and businesses cannot 
discriminate against individuals with disabilities in employment.
  Passage of the ADA has widened access, deepened involvement, and 
raised the level of engagement for people with disabilities at every 
level of society.
  This is particularly true in the government, where the voices of 
disabled Americans are heard and help shape new policies and laws.
  We're not there yet--with hard work and diligence, we'll continue to 
move our country toward being a place where disabled individuals are 
treated like every other American.
  But we're making some progress.
  I believe the federal government should take a leadership role in 
advocating on behalf of disabled Americans. Social Security's 
disability insurance program is one important aspect of that leadership 
role.
  Here in Ohio and nationwide, Americans seeking Social Security 
disability benefits wait more than 3 years on average for final 
decisions on their appeals. In some cases, they are losing their family 
car, their savings, and even their homes--while they wait for their 
government to act.
  I support responsible proposals to reform the disability appeals 
processing system. I have urged congressional appropriators to provide 
appropriate funding to help the Social Security Administration reduce 
the appeals backlog and reduce the wait for disabled Americans.
  Disabled Americans have a huge stake in the fight to strengthen 
Social Security's solvency. Plans to privatize Social Security put the 
income security of American workers at risk--especially workers whose 
careers are cut short by a disabling illness or injury.
  With more than 230,000 Ohioans currently receiving Social Security 
disability benefits, there is too much at stake to play games with 
Social Security's future.
  It's appropriate for us to gather to celebrate the ADA--an important 
first step. Working together, we can fix these and other roadblocks for 
the millions of Americans who live full lives every day with 
disabilities.

                          ____________________