On the 20th anniversary of that landmark event, our nation can take pride in how that wall has fallen. For millions of our fellow citizens with disabilities, the barrier of discrimination has been replaced with a door to opportunity.
The last two decades have been transformational. Buildings, from places of business to sports arenas, have been made accessible to those with physical impairments. Transportation systems have been adapted. Communications and information technologies are continually evolving to include individuals with visual or hearing difficulties. Employment provisions in the ADA ensure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations in the workplace, such as assistive technology.
The ADA has not just benefitted those with disabilities, but also our entire society. No longer are the talents, skills, intellect, and work ethic of people with impairments locked away. Instead they enrich us all.
Just as important is the change in attitudes toward people with disabilities. No longer viewed with pity or even derision, they are recognized as contributing, valuable members of American society, as individuals with dreams and aspirations, and with the determination to succeed.
The passage of the ADA was a shining moment in American government. It was truly a bipartisan effort, one in which both sides of the aisle found common ground. With strong advocacy and invaluable insight from families and from individuals with disabilities, the Congress and the White House sent a powerful message, one that resonates to this day.
At a recent retrospective on the passage of the ADA, Senator Tom Harkin, the legislation's chief sponsor in the Senate, offered a poignant reminder of what was at stake. During the hearings that led to the crafting of the legislation, he said, "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 pools. 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 individuals who 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. In short, stories of millions of Americans who were denied access to their own communities-and to the American dream."
Passage of the ADA was a legislative triumph. Its success is a testament to the American people. Throughout our country - in workplaces, schools, in entertainment venues, and on the streets - our citizens have made compliance with the law more than a legal duty. It is a priority. The willingness to take measures to include people with disabilities in all aspects of our communities is the difference between having rights on paper and enjoying those rights in practice.
We have come a very long way in the last 20 years, but we have farther to go. Fewer than 40 percent of people with disabilities are employed - some 21 million Americans want to work but are prevented from doing so by a lack of access or support services. Congress has continued to advance the rights of individuals with disabilities through the recent passage of the ADA Amendments Act and the Community First Choice Option to increase the availability of home and community-based services.
Our nation was founded on the principles of justice and liberty. Twenty years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act provided that people with disabilities would be treated justly and be liberated from isolation and neglect. Since then, the American spirit of inclusiveness has made those principles ever more real.