[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13913-13915]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

  Mr. DODD. Madam President, I rise today to commemorate the 20th 
anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  The enactment of this important legislation was a significant 
milestone in our national journey to perfect our Union, uphold our 
founding values, and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that the 
rights enshrined in our Constitution are truly available to all of our 
citizens. I was honored to have been able to support this bill in 1990, 
and am proud to be here today to talk about what its enactment means to 
millions of our fellow Americans, as well as to celebrate the 
contributions

[[Page 13914]]

of those whose tireless work, and undying support, made passage of this 
bill a reality.
  Thanks to this landmark law, our country has made progress in 
eliminating the historical stigma previously associated with mental and 
physical disabilities. It is also a critical step toward guaranteeing 
basic civil rights for an entire population who, for much of our 
Nation's history, have faced incredible unfairness and isolation. For 
decades, we have fought for the civil rights of people with 
disabilities, combating the antiquated mindsets of segregation, 
discrimination, and ignorance. Our Nation has come from a time when the 
exclusion of people with disabilities was the norm. We have come from a 
time when doctors told parents that their children with disabilities 
were better left isolated in institutions. We have come from a time 
when individuals with disabilities were not considered contributing 
members of society.
  Those times have thankfully changed. The passage of the ADA in 1990 
provided the first step toward that change our country so desperately 
needed, and 20 years later, many of these individuals are thriving in 
ways that a few short years ago, would have been unthinkable. More and 
more, individuals with disabilities are able to integrate into 
communities across America. Thanks to the ADA, they are finding 
employment, buying their first home, and enjoying our public parks, 
transportation, and other civic facilities far more successfully than 
ever before.
  Just as I was a proud supporter of the ADA then, I was a proud 
supporter of the resolution which the Senate passed last week, 
introduced by my colleagues Senators Harkin and Hatch, commemorating 
the 20th anniversary of that historic achievement. I would like to 
thank Senator Harkin in particular for his leadership on the passage of 
the ADA.
  I would also like to thank my former Connecticut colleague, Lowell 
Weicker, who, as a Senator in 1988, was the original sponsor of the 
legislation that went on to become the Americans with Disabilities Act, 
and is still a national leader in advocating for individuals with 
disabilities.
  Without their tireless efforts and support, it would not have been 
possible to pass this legislation those 20 years ago.
  Equal protection under the law is not a privilege in the United 
States of America--rather, it is a fundamental right due every citizen, 
regardless of race, gender, national origin, religion, sex, age, or 
disability. It is unacceptable to deny any individual his or her right 
to those protections because of a disability. Our country has an 
obligation to its citizens to ensure that their fundamental rights are 
protected, and, if those rights are violated, that the appropriate 
recourse is available.
  In 2008, the overall percentage of people with a disability in my 
home State of Connecticut was 10.4 percent; approximately 350,000 
residents. That is 350,000 reasons why 20 years later, I am proud of--
and somewhat awed by--the impact this bill has made. And that is just 
in my home State. Across the entire country, more than 50 million 
people have been aided by the passage of this historic legislation.
  The resolution that we passed in this body last week honors and 
commemorates the 20th anniversary of the ADA. We passed it 100-0. This 
strong, bipartisan statement underscores the far reaching importance of 
this landmark law. I am proud to not only have been able to vote for 
its passage those 20 years ago, but also to have been an original 
cosponsor along with several of my colleagues still present in this 
body, including Chairman Harkin.
  As we take this opportunity to commemorate the tremendous advances 
the disability community has made, we must not forget the steadfast 
support of the wide network of groups and individuals who have made it 
their mission to help every single American, despite his or her 
disability, reach his or her fullest potential, and which made this 
extraordinary achievement possible.
  I have worked closely with these groups throughout my tenure in the 
Senate to ensure they have gotten the support they need from the 
Federal Government, especially the Consortium for Citizens with 
Disabilities. I thank them for their support and assistance, and truly 
value the working relationships I have established over my entire 
career.
  In my capacity as a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions, I have spent my career fighting 
alongside my colleagues to improve the lives of people with 
disabilities. Some of the most important pieces of legislation I have 
introduced or supported throughout my career have been to further that 
goal. From the Disability Savings Act, a bill I introduced in 2008 
which would encourage individuals with disabilities and their families 
to start disability savings accounts for their unique disability-
related needs, to the Best Buddies Empowerment for People with 
Intellectual Disabilities Act, a bill I introduced earlier this 
Congress with Senator Hatch which promotes the expansion of that 
acclaimed program. I am hopeful we can pass this important legislation 
this year.
  I am also pleased that the recently enacted Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act makes further progress toward meeting the needs of 
the disabled community. That legislation incorporates an important idea 
known as the CLASS Act, which creates a voluntary disability insurance 
program designed to pay for nonmedical and support services so that 
persons with disabilities are able to live independently. Getting this 
program started was a remarkable achievement, and something many of my 
colleagues and I had worked for many years to accomplish.
  Of course, none of the important advances we have made, legislatively 
or otherwise, would have been possible without the tireless work of one 
of the great advocates for equal opportunities for individuals with 
disabilities that the Senate has ever seen--my dear friend, the late 
Senator Ted Kennedy. For Teddy, the issue of fairness and empowerment 
for individuals with disabilities was always in the forefront of his 
mind and legislative agenda. Along with his late sister Eunice Kennedy 
Shriver, his commitment to this issue, which touches so many of our 
fellow citizens, is a legacy that we must seek to preserve and to 
continue.
  On this, the 26th day of July 2010, I urge my colleagues and fellow 
citizens to celebrate the freedom and opportunities provided by the 
Americans with Disabilities Act, and recognize the strides we have made 
to raise the employment and graduation rates, increase self-
sufficiency, and very simply, lift the self-esteem of those who for too 
long were denied these opportunities.
  As we strive to perfect our Union, we must remember that we are a 
just society. We are a society that has enshrined the notion of 
equality, both in rights and opportunity, for all in our very founding 
documents. We must continue to reaffirm the promise made in those 
documents to each citizen, no matter their race, creed, or 
circumstance.
  The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act is one example of 
how we have worked to keep those promises. It represents a successful 
step toward fulfilling our Nation's goals of equality of opportunity, 
independent living, economic self-sufficiency, and full participation 
for Americans with disabilities. It has been a tremendous honor to have 
been able to support this law, and as I look back on the good it has 
done, 20 years later, I am confident that future generations will 
continue to build on its success as a cornerstone to ensuring that all 
Americans have equal access to the American dream.
  Mrs. LINCOLN. Madam President, I join Arkansans and all Americans to 
commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities 
Act, known as ADA. This legislation has literally opened doors for 
countless Arkansans living with disabilities.
  ADA protects the civil rights of all people with disabilities by 
expanding opportunities for Arkansans and all Americans with 
disabilities and by reducing barriers, changing perceptions and 
allowing all Americans to go to the

[[Page 13915]]

schools of their choice, gain meaningful employment, and fully 
participate in community life.
  This week, communities across Arkansas will commemorate the 20th 
anniversary of ADA with events and celebrations, including construction 
of wheelchair ramps by volunteers and a 5K Roll n' Walk Run event on 
the Fayetteville trail system in northwest Arkansas.
  I commend these volunteers and participants for their dedication to 
ensuring that Arkansans with disabilities have full access to the 
resources they need, in addition to promoting ADA's anniversary.
  On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I 
join my fellow Arkansans to celebrate this historic legislation that 
has touched the lives of so many in our State and Nation.

                          ____________________