McCarthy Celebrates 15th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act

McCarthy Celebrates 15th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act
Monday July 25, 2005

"Fifteen years ago, the first President Bush signed the world's first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The ADA's goal is to ensure that every American has the right to live independently and to fully participate in the workplace, classroom, and every other aspect of our society. The ADA sought to eliminate the long-standing barriers of exclusion to people with disabilities.

One must only visit a public building or ride public transportation to witness the progress brought forth by the ADA. Curb cuts, wheelchair lifts, Braille signage, and even listening devices at movie theaters are clear indicators of the ADA's success thus far.

But, most importantly, the ADA has begun to change our society's attitudes towards those with disabilities. The ADA has allowed many disabled individuals to seize opportunities that would have been much more difficult, if not impossible only 15 years ago.

While the ADA has been a success, there is still much work to be done to improve opportunities for all disabled Americans. Today, only 32 percent of people of working age who have a disability are employed. And tragically, people with disabilities are still three times more likely to live in poverty.

Congress must continue to work to fulfill the promise of the ADA. We must meet its goal of ensuring a disability does not disqualify someone from the economic and educational opportunities that are the rights of all Americans."

http://carolynmccarthy.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=372&ParentID=0&SectionID=32&SectionTree=32&lnk=b&ItemID=364