[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] we celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

[smturner.234 at gmail.com]

     Today, we celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA), one of our Nation's most significant civil rights laws to protect
people with disabilities from discrimination.  For the more than 70 million
Americans living with a disability, the ADA enshrines into law the idea that
we all deserve opportunity, inclusion, respect, and dignity.  I am proud to
have co-sponsored this landmark legislation years ago, and I am honored to
celebrate its lasting legacy today.

     The ADA was a historic triumph against discrimination that opened the
doors to opportunity and independence for people with disabilities.  But
more work still needs to be done.  Disabled Americans often earn less for
the same work as nondisabled people.  Additionally, too often, disabled
Americans face obstacles that keep them from voting, prohibit them from
getting to and from work and school, or limit their ability to enjoy public
spaces. 

     I believe in building an America for all Americans.  That is why, in my
first few months in office, I signed an Executive Order establishing a
Government-wide commitment to advancing equality and equity in Federal
employment, including for people with disabilities.  It brought together the
Department of Labor and the Office of Personnel Management to ensure that
Federal workplaces are fully accessible to people with disabilities and that
the dignity and rights of disabled Americans are built into our policies. 

     At the same time, the Department of Labor is also ensuring our workers
are protected by ending unjust employment practices across our economy.  For
example, my Administration is helping State and local governments,
businesses, and nonprofits access Federal funds to hire more disabled
Americans.  And we are making the Federal Government a model employer when
it comes to wages, accommodations, and opportunities to advance for people
with disabilities. 

     Further, we are ensuring that every child with a disability, including
early learners, receives a rigorous education in a learning environment that
supports their development and well-being and leads to promising pathways
after high school.  To that end, the Department of Education announced
funding to involve parents of children with disabilities as partners in
creating equitable and inclusive schools.

     Concurrently, my Administration is also taking action to improve access
to health care for disabled Americans.  Through my Inflation Reduction Act,
we have lowered health care costs for people with disabilities.  The
Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule to bar denials of
medical care related to organ donations or lifesaving care for disabled
Americans based on their disability alone.  They also launched long COVID
clinical trials to study its debilitating health effects and created the
Office of Long COVID Research and Practice with a first-of-its-kind
initiative in our history.  The United States Access Board has proposed
updated medical diagnostic equipment guidelines to ensure people with
disabilities can access health care providers and improve accessibility for
manual and powered wheelchair users.  Further, the National Institutes of
Health made it easier for scientists to get funding for research on health
disparities in the disability community by designating people with
disabilities a "health disparity population."  We also launched the Advanced
Research Projects Agency for Health, which is advancing new biomedical
science breakthroughs and is opening up new funding for unmet health needs
specific to disabled Americans, like biomedicine to prevent, detect, and
treat diseases like cancer, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis.

     Meanwhile, we are making public spaces and care more accessible to
people with disabilities.  The American Rescue Plan provided $37 billion to
enhance, expand, and strengthen home-based services.  That empowers more
people with disabilities - including intellectual and developmental
disabilities - to live independently at home.  In April, the Department of
Health and Human Services finalized a rule that will help ensure access to
these critical services.  Further, our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes
the biggest investment in our history - $1.75 billion - to make transit and
rail stations more accessible.  At the same time, we are investing $5
billion to add wheelchair ramps and accessible restrooms at airports and
other locations.  In addition to issuing a rule that now requires all new
single-aisle aircraft over a certain size to have wheelchair-accessible
restrooms, the Department of Transportation proposed a new rule to ensure
that travelers using wheelchairs can fly safely and with dignity. 

     Everyone in America should be able to share in the benefits of
technology.  That is why my Administration has taken action to ensure that
we are improving our digital infrastructure for people with disabilities.
The Department of Justice issued standards for State and local governments
to make their web content and mobile apps more accessible to Americans with
disabilities so they can more easily access local government services,
emergency services, voting information, and publicly funded education.  And
my Administration is working to make online health services and applications
for jobs in the Federal Government more accessible.

     As we celebrate the anniversary of the ADA, we honor the courageous
activists who worked so hard to get this historic legislation passed.  We
recognize the strength of people with disabilities, who remind us every day
that America is stronger when we tap into the talents of all our people.
And we renew our commitment to moving America closer to the promise of equal
opportunity for all Americans.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 26, 2024, as the
Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  I encourage Americans
to celebrate the 34th year of this defining moment in civil rights law and
the essential contributions of individuals with disabilities to our Nation.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day
of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
forty-ninth.

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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