Lex Frieden, Chairperson
July 2006

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Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2006
On July 25, President George W. Bush issued the following proclamation:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has helped fulfill the promise of America for millions of individuals living with disabilities. The anniversary of this landmark legislation is an important opportunity to celebrate our progress over the last 16 years and the many contributions individuals with disabilities make to our country.

When President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law on July 26, 1990, he called this legislation a "dramatic renewal not only for those with disabilities but for all of us, because along with the precious privilege of being an American comes a sacred duty to ensure that every other American's rights are also guaranteed." The ADA's far-reaching reforms have played a significant role in enhancing the quality of life for millions of Americans who must overcome considerable challenges each day in order to participate fully in all aspects of American life.

My Administration continues to build on the progress of the ADA through the New Freedom Initiative. We have established an online connection to the Federal Government's disability-related information and resources at DisabilityInfo.gov, and the job training and placement services of the "Ticket to Work" program and One Stop Career Centers are promoting greater employment opportunities. We are also expanding educational opportunities for children with disabilities, providing them with the tools they need for success in their classrooms, homes, and communities. In addition, we are fostering technological advancement and encouraging increased distribution of assistive technology to help people with disabilities live and work with greater independence. My Administration will continue its efforts to remove barriers confronting Americans with disabilities and their families so that every individual can realize their full potential.

On this anniversary of the ADA, we underscore our commitment to ensuring that the fundamental promises of our democracy are accessible to all our citizens. As we strive to be a more caring and hopeful society, let us continue to show the character of America in our compassion for one another.

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, 2006, as a day in celebration of the 16th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I call on all Americans to celebrate the many contributions of individuals with disabilities as we work towards fulfilling the promise of the ADA to give all our citizens the opportunity to live with dignity, work productively, and achieve their dreams.

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

GEORGE W. BUSH

ADA Town Hall Meeting 2006

On July 26, NCD and its federal partners conducted this year’s ADA town hall meeting to celebrate the 16th anniversary of ADA. The meeting, officially known as “A National Dialogue on the State of Disability,” was held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

The agenda included a presentation by NCD Chairperson Lex Frieden on the current state of disability and a keynote address by Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield.

Three ADA panels and question-and-answer sessions were also conducted. The Equality of Opportunity and Full Participation panel included John H. Hager, Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education; Loretta King, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Sharon D. Eller, Director, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of the Interior; Dan Sutherland, Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Gary Talbot, Member, U.S. Access Board; Thomas Chandler, Chief, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications Commission; and Gina Semenza, Chair, NCD Youth Advisory Committee.

The Independent Living panel included Olegario D. Cantos VII, Esq., Associate Director on Disabilities, Domestic Policy Council, The White House; Kim Kendrick, Assistant Secretary, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Tyler Duvall, Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation; Margaret J. Giannini, M.D., F.A.A.P., Director, Office on Disability, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Bobby Coward, Member, NCD Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee; and Betsy Valnes, Executive Director, National Youth Leadership Network.

The final panel, Economic Self-Sufficiency, consisted of Cari M. Dominguez, Chair, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; W. Roy Grizzard, Jr., Ed.D., Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor; Martin H. Gerry, Deputy Commissioner, Disability and Income Security Programs, Social Security Administration; Berthy De la Rosa-Aponte, Chair, Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel, Social Security Administration; Rebecca Hare, Project Coordinator, National Consortium on Leadership and Disability for Youth, Institute for Educational Leadership; and Djuna Parmley Mitchell, Consumer Legal Affairs, ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia, Inc.

This year’s federal partners included the U.S. Department of Defense; U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Disability; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; U.S. Department of the Interior; U.S. Department of Justice; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy; U.S. Department of Transportation; U.S. Access Board; U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Federal Communications Commission; and Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel.

Federal sponsors included the U.S. Department of Defense; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Labor; U.S. Department of Transportation; U.S. Access Board; Federal Communications Commission; and Social Security Administration.

The archived, captioned Web cast is available at www.AT508.com. It was sponsored by TV Worldwide and AT508.com channel sponsor TPG (The Paciello Group).

Psychiatric Disabilities and Katrina

On July 14, NCD released The Needs of People with Psychiatric Disabilities During and After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Position Paper and Recommendation (www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2006/peopleneeds.htm), calling on federal, state, and local governments to enact sweeping changes.

The destructive forces of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in fall 2005 wreaked an emotional as well as a physical toll on residents of the Gulf Coast region. Millions of Americans from across the country reached out to hurricane survivors, opening their homes and their hearts. Government employees at local, state and federal levels worked long and hard to help evacuate and rescue people in the Gulf Coast. Many of these workers are still in the Gulf Coast helping to rebuild communities. In the months since the hurricanes, media coverage of hurricane survivors has waned. However, for hurricane survivors with psychiatric disabilities, the hurricanes’ destruction resulted in “trauma that didn’t last 24 hours, then go away. ...It goes on and on.” Some of these challenges were unavoidable. As one government official said, “No one ever planned for what happens when your social service infrastructure is completely wiped out.” Nonetheless, many of the problems could have been avoided with proper planning.

As NCD predicted in its April 2005 report, Saving Lives: Including People with Disabilities in Disaster Planning (www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2005/emergency_planning.htm), “[i]f planning does not embrace the value that everyone should survive, they will not.” As a result of its research, NCD found that much pre-Katrina disaster planning did not contemplate the needs of people with psychiatric disabilities, and as a result, many people died or unnecessarily suffered severely traumatic experiences.

This paper includes major findings and recommendations, as well as specific recommendations for emergency management officials and policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels.

Next Generation Roundtable

On July 25, NCD’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) hosted the Next Generation Roundtable, a national-level opportunity for invited youth with disabilities to engage in facilitated dialogue around guiding questions focused on employment and leadership. The 37 invited youth participants were supported by community and federal partners from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, Transportation; the Social Security Administration; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the White House Domestic Policy Council; the American Association of People with Disabilities; Booz, Allen & Hamilton; National Council on Independent Living; and NCD. Watch the YAC section of NCD’s Web site for summary information from this youth-led roundtable.

UN Convention Update

The eighth Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities is taking place from August 14 to 25 at the United Nations (UN) in New York City. NCD and Mental Disability Rights International will be co-sponsoring a lunch side-event, “Practical Discussions on Implementation in the United States and Other Countries,” on August 22 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the UN. If you are participating in the meeting at the UN, please plan to attend this panel discussion. Lunch is free.