[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book II)]
[July 26, 2000]
[Pages 1465-1467]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
July 26, 2000
Thank you very much. And thank you, Justin, for all you said, all you've done; how you've been a
conscience to me and to Hillary and to the Vice President and our entire
administration and to the country.
I want to thank all the Members of Congress who are here,
especially, obviously, Senator Harkin and Senator
Hatch. But thank you, Senator
Kennedy, Senator Specter, Senator Jeffords. Senator
Metzenbaum, it's good to see you back.
I'd like to thank Representative Morella and former Representative Bartlett. And Secretary Mineta,
former Representative Mineta, thank you for what you did on this; and
recognize that Tony Coelho--I'm not sure that
he's here--but for all he did, along with--and I thank all the members
of the administration who are here: Secretary Herman, Secretary Gober, and
Commissioner Apfel, Director
Lachance, the EEO Chairwoman, Ida
Castro, and many others over there.
But I'd like to especially thank the people that Justin Dart recognized, the Americans with disabilities who
have made our administration the most diverse in America, and I think
the best, because of their contributions in terms of reflecting
America's values. Thank you, Paul Miller,
Bob Williams, Marca Bristo, Judy Heumann. Thank you,
Becky Ogle, and all the others who are here for
what you did for our administration.
I finally think I've carried this too far. There is an article in
the Washington Post this morning on Becky Ogle.
If you haven't seen it, you ought to. I've been here 8 years, and I have
never gotten that good of press in the Washington Post. [Laughter] It
was amazing, so we're really making progress.
I'd also like to thank young Beth Gray from my
home State of Arkansas for singing the national anthem. Didn't she do a
wonderful job? [Applause] I thought she was really terrific--and all the
other young people that are here.
One of the things that Tom Harkin didn't tell
you about his brother, Frank, is that when we celebrated the first
anniversary of the ADA, that I had a chance to celebrate as President in
1993, we made the first--Tom and I did--made the first and ever phone
call from the White House to the nationwide relay service which allows
people who are deaf to use the phone. We called Frank at home in
Cumming,
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Iowa. And guess what? Here we were, the whole national press, we're in
the Oval Office, Tom and I--the line was busy. [Laughter] Frank couldn't
wait for us. He was already calling his friends to say hello, because he
was so excited to be on the phone for the first time. Eventually, Frank
found time to take our call, and we had a wonderful visit.
I say that to make this point. A lot of what the Americans with
Disabilities Act is all about is making sure people can live like
people, can do things that other folks take for granted. The Americans
with Disabilities Act--and I thank all these Members of Congress from
both parties who are here, and those who couldn't be here today--is
basically a statement by human beings that they want: Sympathy, no;
self-determination, yes. That they don't want excuses. Instead, they
want opportunity in terms of jobs and careers.
The FDR Memorial is a pretty good place for us to be having this
because, as all of you know, it is more than a monument to one of our
Nation's leaders. It's a symbol of who we are as a nation and what we
can overcome.
Tom told me before I came up here, Senator Harkin said, ``You know,
my father used to say that Roosevelt became President at the darkest
time of our country's history. It took a disabled man to lead a disabled
nation. They both forgot they had a disability by making it go away in
their common endeavors.'' If we could just remember a few basic things:
that everybody counts, everybody deserves a chance, everybody has a role
to play, we all do better when we help each other. That's what this
Memorial represents; that's what the ADA represents; that's America at
its best.
You know, the ADA has changed America in ways we have, I think,
forgotten to be conscious of: curb cuts, braille signs, closed
captioning. These things are part of everyday life now. It's also
changing the way, I think, many Americans see one another, and dropping
a lot of those invisible barriers to progress.
I was proud last year to come here to sign the Jeffords-Kennedy Work
Incentive Improvement Act, last December. It was the last bill signing
of the 20th century. But on this 10th anniversary, as others have said,
I want us to look ahead. In the midst of the longest economic expansion
in history, more Americans with disabilities are working than ever
before. But far too many who want to work are still not working. So on
this anniversary, we're looking forward.
Yesterday Vice President Gore announced
a number of new steps we're taking to promote real choices in home- and
community-based services and supports, especially with technology.
Today I thank Hillary for what
she said and for her commitment. I'm the first person that ever heard
that story about her going from door to door finding out why kids
weren't in school 27 years ago. I've heard it several times over the
last 27 years, and I never get tired of it, because the things that
happen to us along life's way--sometimes something simple and unexpected
that make a searing impression are the things that really enable us,
sometimes many years later, to make a real difference.
Here's what we want to do today to help more Americans lead
productive, self-sufficient lives. First, we must do more to remove
barriers to work. Last year we raised the limits people can earn while
still keeping Social Security disability benefits. From now on, the
earnings limit will be automatically adjusted every year, based on the
national average wage index. Now, this will reward work and help as many
as 400,000 Americans with disabilities.
Second, the Federal Government must lead by example. Our Federal
work force is the smallest in 40 years. But as we make new hires, we
need to ensure that we're tapping the deepest pool of talent. Today I
will sign an Executive order calling on the Federal Government to hire
100,000 people with disabilities by the 15th anniversary of the ADA.
Now, one of the people on stage today is Mark Moore. He's a law student who helped to draft that Executive
order. I want to thank him, all of the people at the Office of Personnel
Management. Give Mark Moore a big hand. Thank you. [Applause]
Third, Members of the Senate and the House have introduced the first
bipartisan ``Family Opportunity Act,'' to ensure that children with
disabilities can keep their Medicaid coverage even when their parents
return to work. I plan to work with Congress to enact legislation to
achieve those goals this year. We can do it this year. I thank the
Members who are here who have done that.
Fourth, we're going to have a new website to be a one-stop
electronic resource link for people with disabilities to log on and get
the latest information on tax credits and deductions,
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the nearest employment and training center, to learn more about civil
rights and protections guaranteed by the ADA. It's called Access
America, www.disAbility.gov.
And finally, I ask Congress again to act on important pending
legislation to improve the lives of people with disabilities. We must be
vigilant in defending the rights we have already secured, and our budget
increases funds for ADA enforcement.
I also asked Congress to pass our $1,000 tax credit to help workers
with disabilities pay for support services and technologies needed to
stay on the job, and our $3,000 tax credit for Americans of all ages
with long-term care needs. I also say the disability community in
America needs a strong hate crimes bill that protects people with
disabilities and a real Patients' Bill of Rights that covers Americans,
all of them, in all health plans.
More than 60 years ago, President Roosevelt marked the anniversary
of the Emancipation Proclamation. He said it was an occasion for
recalling great progress and a time for remembering that in the truest
sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved. Because of all
you have done, America has achieved greater freedom. We have liberated
not only Americans with disabilities, but as Martin Luther King said of
the civil rights movement so long ago, when people find their own
freedom, those who have denied it to them for too long are, themselves,
made more free. We are all a freer, better country because of the ADA
and what you have done.
When you look at the young people on this stage, you know that you
have given them a better today. When we leave here, we should leave
committed to giving them a much better tomorrow.
Thank you, and God bless you.
Note: The President spoke at 10:55 a.m. at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Memorial. In his remarks, he referred to Justin Dart, Jr., chairman and
founder, Justice For All; former Representative Steve Bartlett; former
Senator Howard M. Metzenbaum; Rebecca Ogle, Executive Director,
Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities; Marca
Bristo, chair, National Council on Disability; and Tony Coelho,
Chairman, President's Committee on Employment of People with
Disabilities. The transcript released by the Office of the Press
Secretary also included the remarks of the First Lady. The Executive
orders on increasing employment opportunity and provision of reasonable
accommodation are listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.