This afternoon, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), along with more than a dozen disability rights organizations, co-hosted a celebration of the 14th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The event, held at WGBH Public Television in Boston, honored Democratic members of Congress that have been key supporters of the ADA.
Ted Kennedy Jr., emcee of the event, explained that this gathering is part of a bi-partisan celebration of policymakers who’ve strongly supported the ADA and disability rights. Today’s ceremony was scheduled in conjunction with the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Boston; a similar event honoring Republican supporters of the ADA will take place in New York City at the Republican National Convention next month.
The first award was given to Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), co-author of the ADA in the Senate and longtime supporter of disability rights. “Changing the physical barriers, we can get that done; changing the mental attitudes towards people with disabilities, that may take longer,” Harkin said, quoting former senator Lowell Weiker. The ADA, he continued, is making a big difference in changing Americans’ attitudes towards the disabled, helping them participate more actively in the socioeconomic fabric of the country.
Harkin warned, though, there was still much work to be done, not only in expanding disability rights but protecting the rights currently enshrined in the ADA. “In the highest court in this land, the ADA hangs by a thread,” he said. “Millions of people with disabilities are still being left out and being left behind, so we still have an unfinished agenda.”
“Don’t define a person by a person’s disability; define a person by who he is, what their goals are, what their vision its, what they want to do in the future. That’s how you define a person,” Harkin said amidst an extended round of applause. “As long as 70% of people with disabilities are unemployed…we have an unfinished agenda in America. So remember, my friends, this is an election year, and to fulfill this agenda, we’ve got to get organized…. And we’ve got to vote.” Taking a more partisan tone, Harkin said that if voters want to make sure that the Supreme Court doesn’t whittle away the ADA any more than it has, they should embrace John Kerry. “Our priorities will be his priorities,” he said. Harkin added that if Democrats win back the Senate, he and Ted Kennedy will make sure that they reinstate the Senate subcommittee on disability policy.
Before Harkin left the stage, Jean Kennedy Smith of VSA Arts presented him with a framed ceramic tile created by a disabled Iowan artist. “I am grateful we have a champion like you to ensure that the arts matter,” she told him.
Congressman Steny Hoyer was then honored for his work on passing the ADA in the House of Representatives 14 years ago, and for being “a true champion of children and adults with disabilities.” The award went on to describe Hoyer as “the shepherd of the ADA” and the Assistive Technology Act, as well as other disability rights legislation.
Hoyer began his remarks by thanking fellow Congressman Jim Langevin, also being honored today, who was paralyzed from the waist down when he was accidentally shot as a teenager. “He is a living testimony to the rightness of the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Hoyer said. “What a tragedy it would have been to shut Jim Langevin out of American life.”
“Yes we have come a far piece, but we have a far piece yet to go,” Hoyer said, saying the ADA must be protected and expanded. “If society makes a reasonable accommodation to include them fully, it will be our society-- our America -- that will be advantaged.”
“My most cherished role… was working with so many of you… to adopt what some have called the most important civil rights legislation since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and that is the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Hoyer said in his closing remarks. “It is to America’s advantage, and America is a better place for having taken that step -- and it will be even better for taking more steps [for the disabled] into the future.”
Later, Rep. Jim Langevin took to the stage, riding up to the podium in his motorized wheelchair. Langevin described what it was like growing up as a young man in the years prior to the ADA. “I remember the days of going to Providence College and my heart sinking when I discovered it wasn’t accessible,” he said. “And I remember being deprived of a secret ballot because someone had to come in the voting booth to assist me.”
Langevin went on to thank the disability rights activists in attendance today. “You’ve made sure that Americans with disabilities are part of the movement to build a better future… Your presence here is a powerful one, and I appreciate all that you’ve done [to lessen] the silent struggles endured by so many.”
“There are many battles to fight in the years and months ahead, and I am eager to be a partner with you in these efforts,” Langevin said. He described the 70% unemployment rate within the disabled community as “a national disgrace” and said we must continue to work to improve job opportunities for the disabled.
“We must make sure that people with disabilities are engaged and involved in the political process,” he added. “I know there is no limit to what we can accomplish together, whether it’s registering people to vote, making polling places more accessible, encouraging the disabled to run for office…. We need to make sure that millions of voices are heard loud and clear.”
The event also honored numerous members of Congress, many of whom were present to accept their award, as well as state policymakers such as Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly and state representative Thomas Kennedy. Among the other policymakers honored: former Congressman Tony Coelho; Senators Mark Dayton, Christopher Dodd; Congresspeople Lane Evans, Ed Markey, Nancy Pelosi, Earl Pomeroy, Jan Schakowsky, Bobby Scott and John Tierney.... -Andy
Posted by acarvin at July 26, 2004 05:05 PM | TrackBack