    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [July 26, 1999]
    [Page 1325]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1325]]

    Statement on the Ninth Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities
    Act
    July 26, 1999

        Today I join citizens across the country in celebrating the ninth
    anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In the past,
    many Americans have presumed that disability meant a life of dependence.
    Now, we recognize that people with disabilities want to, and can lead
    independent lives and contribute to our Nation's prosperity. Throughout
    our administration, Vice President Gore and I have endeavored to empower
    individuals with the tools they need to bring their tremendous energy
    and talent to the American work force.
        My Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities is building
    on the foundation of the ADA by developing a coordinated and active
    employment agenda for people with disabilities. We have taken strong
    action to promote the employment of individuals with disabilities,
    including implementing new regulations that increase the amount of
    income that over 250,000 Americans with disabilities can earn while
    still receiving critical cash and medical benefits, instituting new
    steps to remove Federal hiring barriers for people with mental illness,
    and directing the Office of Personnel Management to develop a plan for
    Federal hiring of people with disabilities. And under the leadership of
    Tipper Gore, we are beginning to address the
    stigma and discrimination confronted by people with psychiatric
    disabilities.
        I am proud of the actions that this administration has taken to
    fully integrate Americans with disabilities into the workplace. It is
    now time for Congress to act. In my State of the Union, I challenged the
    Congress to pass the bipartisan work incentives improvement act,
    sponsored by Senators Jeffords,
    Kennedy, Roth, and Moynihan, which
    would improve job opportunities for people with disabilities by
    increasing access to health care and employment services. It was my hope
    that I could have signed this legislation into law today, but the House
    has not yet acted on it. I remain committed to enacting this legislation
    in this Congress.
        We should also work together across party lines to enact a strong,
    enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights, provide new tax options to assist
    individuals with disabilities with their work-related expenses, and
    double the available funding for assistive technologies that will
    facilitate employment. We must make this a season of progress, not a
    season of partisanship. We can achieve this end by passing all three of
    these critically important initiatives. There would be no better way to
    celebrate the ninth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.