Lex Frieden, Chairperson
July 2005

The Bulletin, which is free of charge and at NCD’s award-winning Web site (www.ncd.gov), brings you the latest issues and news affecting people with disabilities. To subscribe to the new NCD listserv, go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov, click on Online mailing list archives, select NCD-NEWS-L, click on Join or leave the list, then complete the short subscription form. Please send your editorial comments to Bulletin editor Mark S. Quigley (mquigley@ncd.gov).

ADA Proclamation
July 26, 2005
Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2005
By The President of the United States of America
A Proclamation (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/07/20050726.html)

On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This historic legislation provides a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities. The ADA reflects our Nation’s faith in the promise of all individuals and helps to ensure that our Nation’s opportunities are more accessible to all.

The ADA has been a great success in expanding opportunity for disabled Americans. By reducing barriers and changing perceptions, the ADA has increased participation in community life and given greater hope to millions of Americans.

Because of the ADA, individuals with disabilities are better able to develop skills for school, work, and independent living. Our Nation has more to do to further the goals of the ADA. Through the New Freedom Initiative, my Administration is building on the progress of the ADA to increase the use of technology and expand educational and employment opportunities. We are promoting the development and dissemination of assistive and universally designed technology. We have launched DisabilityInfo.gov, an online resource of programs and technology relevant to the daily lives of people with disabilities and their families, employers, service providers, and other community members. We also require electronic and information technologies used by the Federal Government to be accessible to people with disabilities. To ensure that no child with a disability is left behind, I have requested $11.1 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in my FY 2006 budget—$4.7 billion above the FY 2001 level. The Department of Education is seeking new and effective ways for students with disabilities to learn. My Administration is also working to educate employers on ADA requirements and further assisting persons with disabilities by implementing the "Ticket to Work" program and strengthening training and employment services at One-Stop Career Centers. Through all of these efforts, we are helping individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to live and work with greater freedom.

On the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we celebrate the progress that has been made and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling the ADA’s mission of bringing greater hope and opportunity to our Nation’s disabled Americans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 26, 2005, as a day in celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I call on all Americans to celebrate the many contributions individuals with disabilities have made to our country, and I urge our citizens to fulfill the promise of the ADA to give all people the opportunity to live with dignity, work productively, and achieve their dreams.

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

SIGNED,
George W. Bush
President of the United States of America

NCD/Federal Partners ADA Events

On July 25 and 26, NCD and its federal partners observed the 15th ADA anniversary with two events. More than 700 people attended an invitation-only reception at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where former President George H. W. Bush was the keynote speaker. Also speaking were Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt, Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson, Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta; Tom Harkin, U.S. Senator (D-IA), and Steny Hoyer, U. S. Representative (D-MD); Lex Frieden, NCD chairperson; and Janice M. Tuck, Chair, U.S. Access Board. The program for the reception can be found at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2005/anniversary_event1.htm.

During the program President George H. W. Bush awarded the George Bush Medal for the Empowerment of People with Disabilities to Allan Reich, president emeritus, National Organization on Disability; Dr. I. King Jordan, president, Gallaudet University; and Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD).

The medal is intended to reinforce the nation’s commitment to keeping the promise of the ADA to all Americans and to encourage the spirit of ADA throughout the world.

Past recipients include: Senator Tom Harkin (1994); Ed Roberts and Bengt Lindqvist (1996); and Elizabeth Boggs, Justin Dart, Jr., Evan J. Kemp, Jr., Joshua Teke Malinga, Dick Thornburgh, and Patrisha A. Wright (2000).

The second event was an ADA seminar that took place on July 26 at the Marriott at Metro Center in Washington, D.C. More than 300 people participated in the seminar, which included an opening plenary session, six ADA-related workshops, and a closing plenary session. Speakers included Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Cari M. Dominguez, and Social Security Administration Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart. The seminar agenda can be found at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2005/anniversary_event2.htm.

ADA Paper

On July 26, NCD released its latest paper NCD and the Americans with Disabilities Act: 15 Years of Progress, which describes NCD’s role in the passage of the ADA and the continuing efforts of the Council in evaluating the implementation, effectiveness and impact of the ADA. The paper can be found at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2005/15yearprogress.htm.

NIDRR Seeks Comment on Long-Range Plan

On July 27, 2005, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) published a Federal Register notice seeking comment on the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research’s (NIDRR) Long-Range Plan (Plan) for fiscal years 2005 through 2009. As required by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, Assistant Secretary John H. Hager takes this action to outline priorities for rehabilitation research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities, and to explain the basis for these priorities.

OSERS must receive your comments on or before August 26, 2005. Address all comments about this proposed Plan to Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 6030, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20204-2700. If you prefer to send your comments through the Internet, use the following address: donna.nangle@ed.gov. You must include the term “Long-Range Plan” in the subject line of your electronic message. For additional information, contact Donna Nangle at 202-245-7462.

International Update

NCD will cosponsor a presentation on August 2 at the United Nations (UN) during the deliberations that are taking place on the Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. The presentation will take place during the Sixth Ad Hoc Committee Meeting at 1:15 p.m. in conference room C at the UN. The panel presentation will discuss experiences from the United States and the Inter-American System of Human Rights, and the implications for the treaty. NCD will be rolling out seven topical papers on accessibility (of electronic and information technology); employment; health; political participation; independent living and living in the community; transportation; and education. Presenters include NCD Board Member Kathleen Martinez; Janet Lord, the Director and Legal Counsel of Lord, Guernsey and Associates; Eric Rosenthal, the Executive Director of Mental Disability Rights International (MDRI); Alison Hillman, the Director of the Americas Advocacy Initiative at MDRI; and Professor Gerard Quinn of the National University of Ireland, Galway, who will be comparing the American and European experiences. The event is open to all participants in the Ad Hoc Committee proceedings.

Legislative Update

The Employer Work Incentive Act for Individuals with Severe Disabilities

On July 29, 2005, the Employer Work Incentive Act for Individuals with Severe Disabilities (S. 1570) was introduced in the U.S. Senate. This legislation promotes employment of individuals with severe disabilities through Federal Government contracting and procurement processes. The bill will offer eligible businesses that competitively employ people with severe disabilities the opportunity to participate in the performance of federal contracts and receive a procurement advantage. S. 1570 was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

NCD Quarterly Meeting

NCD’s next quarterly meeting will take place October 5–6 at the Crowne Plaza San Francisco Union Square Hotel, 480 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California. The focus of this meeting will be livable communities and NCD’s report Livable Communities for Adults with Disabilities (http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2004/LivableCommunities.htm). This meeting is open to the public and free of charge.