[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.