July 15, 2010
In Iowa's Interest: Celebrating Twenty Years of the ADA
By Senator Tom Harkin
On July 26, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As chief sponsor of the ADA in the Senate, I will always remember the day it was signed into law as one of the proudest of my legislative career.
Before the ADA, life was very different for folks in Iowa and across the country with disabilities, and discrimination was both commonplace and accepted. I think of my late brother Frank, who lost his hearing at a very young age, and I saw how he was prevented from fully participating in activities that most Americans take for granted. And I will always remember the hearings we conducted in both the Senate and the House - the dramatic and disturbing testimony of how individuals with disabilities struggled because of the discrimination they faced on a daily basis.
We heard stories of individuals who had to crawl on their hands and knees to go up a flight of stairs, or to gain access to their local swimming pool. Stories of individuals who couldn’t ride on a bus because there wasn’t a lift. Stories of individuals who couldn’t go to concerts or ballgames because there was no accessible seating. Stories of how individuals could not even cross the street in their wheelchairs because there were no curb cuts. Stories of individuals who could not buy a pair of shoes or go to the movies. Millions of stories of Americans who were denied access to their own communities – and to the American dream.
Over the last two decades, we have made truly amazing progress. Streets, buildings, sports arenas and transportation systems are more accessible for people with physical impairments. Information is offered in alternative formats, so it is useable by individuals with visual or hearing impairments. Because of the employment provisions in the ADA, many individuals with disabilities are able to get reasonable accommodations on the job and an equal opportunity in the workplace.
These changes are all around us. They are so integrated into our daily lives that it is sometimes hard to remember how the world was before.
Just as important, we have seen an enormous change in attitudes toward people with disabilities. Our expectation is that we will do what it takes to give individuals with disabilities not just physical access, but equal opportunity in our schools, in our workplaces, in all areas of our economy and society.
On this 20th anniversary of the ADA, we recognize that people with disabilities – like all people – have unique abilities, talents and aptitudes. And America is better, fairer and richer when we make full use of those gifts. Every individual with a disability deserves a chance to realize the four great goals of the ADA: equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency.
In honor of this anniversary, members of my staff are traveling to all 99 Iowa counties to gather stories regarding how the ADA has positively affected people’s lives. Stories from these events can be found on my website at harkin.senate.gov. I will also attend some of the statewide celebrations of the ADA anniversary during the weekend of July 24-25. If you have any questions regarding the tour or the ADA, please call my office at 515-284-4574.