[nfb-talk] Fw: Presidential Proclamation--Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

[Sherri]

Presidential Proclamation--Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities 
Act
----- Original Message ----- 
From: White House Disability Group
To: flmom2006 at gmail.com
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 6:23 PM
Subject: Presidential Proclamation--Anniversary of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act


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THE WHITE HOUSE



Office of the Press Secretary



________________________________



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



July 25, 2011



Attached is a proclamation signed by the President today regarding the 
Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.



Also, see text below.



THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release July 25, 2011


ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, 2011

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION



Generations of Americans with disabilities have improved our country in 
countless ways. Refusing to accept the world as it was, they have torn down 
the barriers that prohibited them from fully realizing the American dream. 
Their tireless efforts led to the enactment of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act (ADA), one of the most comprehensive pieces of civil rights 
legislation in our Nation's history. On this day, we celebrate the 21st 
anniversary of the ADA and the progress we have made, and we reaffirm our 
commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans.



Each day, people living with disabilities make immeasurable contributions to 
the diversity and vitality of our communities. Nearly one in five Americans 
lives with a disability. They are our family members and friends, neighbors 
and colleagues, and business and civic leaders. Since the passing of the 
ADA, persons with disabilities are leading fuller lives in neighborhoods 
that are more accessible and have greater access to new technologies. In our 
classrooms, young people with disabilities now enjoy the same educational 
opportunities as their peers and are gaining the tools necessary to reach 
their greatest potential.



Despite these advancements, there is more work to be done, and my 
Administration remains committed to ending all forms of discrimination and 
upholding the rights of Americans with disabilities. The Department of 
Justice continues to strengthen enforcement of the ADA by ensuring that 
persons with disabilities have access to community-based services that allow 
them to lead independent lives in the communities of their choosing. Under 
provisions of the Affordable Care Act, insurers will no longer be able to 
engage in the discriminatory practice of denying coverage based on 
pre-existing conditions, and Americans with disabilities will have greater 
control over their health care choices. And last year, I signed an Executive 
Order establishing the Federal Government as a model employer for 
individuals with disabilities, placing a special focus on recruitment and 
retention of public servants with disabilities across Federal agencies.



Through the ADA, America was the first country in the world to 
comprehensively declare equality for citizens with disabilities. To continue 
promoting these principles, we have joined in signing the Convention on the 
Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At its core, this Convention promotes 
equality. It seeks to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy the same 
rights and opportunities as all people, and are able to lead their lives as 
do other individuals.



Eventual ratification of this Convention would represent another important 
step in our forty-plus years of protecting disability rights. It would offer 
us a platform to encourage other countries to join and implement the 
Convention. Broad implementation would mean greater protections and benefits 
abroad for millions of Americans with disabilities, including our veterans, 
who travel, conduct business, study, reside, or retire overseas. In 
encouraging other countries to join and implement the Convention, we also 
could help level the playing field to the benefit of American companies, who 
already meet high standards under United States domestic law. Improved 
disabilities standards abroad would also afford American businesses 
increased opportunities to export innovative products and technologies, 
stimulating job creation at home.



Equal access, equal opportunity, and the freedom to make of our lives what 
we will are principles upon which our Nation was founded, and they continue 
to guide our efforts to perfect our Union. Together, we can ensure our 
country is not deprived of the full talents and contributions of the 
approximately 54 million Americans living with disabilities, and we will 
move forward with the work of providing pathways to opportunity to all of 
our people.



NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 Tuesday, July 26, 2011, the 
Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I encourage Americans 
across our Nation to celebrate the 21st anniversary of this civil rights law 
and the many contributions of individuals with disabilities.



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



BARACK OBAMA

# # #




  a.. ADA proclamation 2011.pdf

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