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Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Senate author of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), today issued the following statement on the 19th anniversary of the signing of the ADA. The measure was signed into law on July 26, 1990.
OTTUMWA, IA --
“Nineteen years ago, we changed the rules, we changed the law and we opened the public’s eyes to the struggles of those living with disabilities. The progress we’ve made since that time is all around us and it is so integrated into our daily lives that it is sometimes hard to remember how the world was before.
“Streets, buildings and transportation are more accessible for people with physical impairments. Information is offered in alternative formats, so that it is useable by individuals with visual or hearing impairments. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations so that people with disabilities can have equal opportunity in the workplace. And we have advanced the four goals of the ADA – equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.
“Last year we were able to get the ADA Amendments Act passed, to overturn a series of Supreme Court cases that had greatly narrowed the scope of who is protected by the ADA. The ADA Amendments Act restores our original Congressional intent by clarifying and broadening the definition of disability in the ADA, and increasing eligibility for the protections of the ADA. It is my expectation that under this legislation, people who were denied coverage under the ADA will now be covered.
“So as we celebrate the anniversary of this great civil rights law, we take time to remember the remarkable progress that we have made in the past 19 years and we look ahead, realizing that we still have more work to do.
“Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., many individuals with significant disabilities still do not have the right to choose to receive their long-term services and supports in the community, rather than in a nursing home. My legislation, the Community Choice Act, would extend the availability of these home and community based services.
“So too, the struggles of those living with disabilities do not end at the U.S. border.
“Last week, President Obama announced the United States will sign the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an international treaty that maintains the rights of persons living with disabilities and obligates countries to maintain those rights. The Convention will then be referred to the U.S. Senate.
“By becoming a party to the U.N. Convention, the United States will continue its leadership role on disability issues. And with President Obama announcing our country’s intent to join the Convention just days before the ADA anniversary, we send an international message of unity to persons living with disabilities.”
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