Obama Addresses ADA’s 20th Anniversary

President Obama addressed a ceremony honoring the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, calling it “one of the most comprehensive civil rights bills in the history of this country.”

The law requires buildings, transportation facilities, and commercial facilities to be accessible to the physically challenged and guarantees employee rights for people with disabilities.  President Obama said that the ADA has served to “tear down the physical and social barriers” and stressed “not dependence, but independence”. The President also signed an executive order designed to improve enforcement of the ADA.

Now the ADA’s impact is everywhere: wheelchair lifts on city buses, signs in Braille, sign-language interpreters. Yes, there is still a long way to go. Yet in redefining the terms of disability, the ADA made us impossible to ignore. By now people should understand we’re just part of the human landscape, and we’re here to stay.

Though the ADA established rights, it has not reduced the need for advocacy. For example, people with disabilities have always had difficulty finding jobs. In fact, there is a 42% employment gap that separates working-age people with and without disabilities in the workforce, according to Cornell University researchers. The ADA has laid a foundation, but more work is left to be done.

You can see the entire ceremony honoring the 20^th anniversary of the ADA, including Obama’s speech here: