President Barack Obama celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by speaking on the White House South Lawn and signing an executive order to increase the employment of people with disabilities in the federal government.
In his speech, the President talked about Michelle Obama’s father, who had multiple sclerosis and never missed a day of work. He applauded the accomplishments of the ADA and announced continuing efforts toward equality, including updates to the law.
“It began when Americans no longer saw their own disabilities as a barrier to their success, and set out to tear down the physical and social barriers that were. It grew when you realized you weren’t alone. It became a massive wave of bottom-up change that swept across the country as you refused to accept the world as it was,” he said.
The executive order seeks to establish the federal government as a model employer for people with disabilities. It creates internal mechanisms such as mandatory training for hiring managers, and requires the Office of Personnel Management to approve planning preparations and establish guidelines and assistance regarding the hiring of people with disabilities. The results will be published online.
Kareem Dale, White House Office of Public Engagement & Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy, called the celebration “partying with a purpose.” Dale, who is visually impaired, also discussed his personal connection to the law, which enabled him to receive additional support and services as a college student.
“This is the real impact of the ADA — what it did for people with disabilities and their family members all over the country in helping improve their day-to-day existence,” he said.
“It meant that my future employers would no longer be able to discriminate in hiring, or fail to provide me with reasonable accommodations. It meant that public transportation had to be accessible so I could travel,” Dale said.
Speakers also included Marca Bristo, President of Access Living, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes. There were performances by Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Patti LaBelle and Marlee Matlin.
The list of stage participants included Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Shaun Donovan, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Christina Romer, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Tom Perrelli, associate attorney general of the Department of Justice and Tom Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
Representatives from the departments of transportation, labor and justice, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also attended.
This article was published in the September 2010 issue of Able News.
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