    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [July 26, 1995]
    [Pages 1143-1144]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Americans with Disabilities Act Roundtable
    July 26, 1995

        Thank you very much. Secretary Rubin, Attorney General Reno, to the
    distinguished members of this panel, Senator Harkin and Congressman
    Hoyer, Chairman Coelho, Dr. Hitt, Gil Casellas, Marca Bristo, the
    members of the administration who are here--I see Reed Hundt and Patsy
    Fleming out there--I thank all of you for being here to celebrate this
    fifth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
        Five years ago, when the ADA became law, we became the first nation
    in the world to commit ourselves to equal rights and equal opportunities
    for all citizens with disabilities. Because of the ADA, our country is
    stronger today. Our fellow citizens are being judged by their ability to
    contribute, not by their disabilities. Now all of you and millions of
    others all across this country have an opportunity they never had before
    to make the most of their own lives.
        That opportunity is critical to what we have to do as a nation to
    meet the great challenges we face and to move forward into the next cen-

    [[Page 1144]]

    tury. In many ways, the ADA is the perfect example of what I mean when I
    talk about our job is to create more opportunity and demand more
    responsibility from all of our citizens.
        The ADA has meant more opportunity for 49 million Americans with
    disabilities to do their part to make us a stronger and better country.
    It has meant that more people can go to work and participate in
    community life and do things that most Americans take for granted, like
    helping to take care of their families or getting a good education or
    registering and voting. It's also a perfect example of what I have meant
    in recent weeks when I have urged the American people to come together
    to find common ground in order to move forward together as a nation.
        That was true across party lines. Members of both parties, including
    three who are here today, Senator Harkin, Representative Hoyer, and
    former Congressman Tony Coelho, fought for the ADA in the Congress. And
    President Bush signed it into law. The ADA became law because Americans,
    like so many of you, worked together in the best interest of everyone,
    putting party behind country. There was a realization that the best way
    to keep our country moving forward was to allow every American,
    regardless of whether he or she used a wheelchair, was blind, had a
    mental disability, or was HIV-positive, to live up to his or her God-
    given potential.
        And today, even as we celebrate the rights gained under the ADA, the
    budget cuts proposed by the congressional majority would sharply reduce
    the services and the supports that enable people to effectively exercise
    the rights granted by the ADA. Under the proposed cuts, States would be
    forced to drop 1.4 million people with disabilities from Medicaid rolls,
    and 4 million disabled Americans on Medicare would have to pay more
    every year for the same health care. They also have proposed eliminating
    funds for training special education teachers.
        Now, we have to join together to maintain our commitment and our
    common ground. I will vigorously implement and enforce the ADA through
    the Cabinet and the administration. We will not allow Americans with
    disabilities to be kept from realizing their dreams by closed doors or
    narrowed minds.
        We should also celebrate, all of us, this fifth anniversary of the
    Americans with Disabilities Act in the best way possible: By all, each
    of us, rededicating ourselves to creating a society of equal access and
    equal rights for all. That is the best kind of affirmative action for
    all the American people.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:22 a.m. in the Cash Room at the Treasury
    Department. In his remarks, he referred to Tony Coelho, Chair,
    President's Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities; R.
    Scott Hitt, Chair, Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS; Gilbert F.
    Casellas, Chairman, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Marca
    Bristo, Chair, National Council on Disability; Reed F. Hundt, Chair,
    Federal Communications Commission; and Patricia S. Fleming, Director of
    National AIDS Policy.