News Release

NCD #99-272
July 23, 1999
Contact: Mark S. Quigley
202-272-2004
202-272-2074 TTY
mquigley@ncd.gov

National Council on Disability to Release Recommendations on Disability and Cultural Diversity on Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary

WASHINGTON-The National Council on Disability (NCD) will release the executive summary from its report, Lift Every Voice: Modernizing Disability Policies and Programs to Serve a Diverse Nation, at a White House forum on disability and cultural diversity that will also celebrate the ninth anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on Monday, July 26, 1999.

The forum, convened by the White House and NCD with support from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), will focus on how to improve outcomes in education, employment, and civil rights enforcement for people with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds.

NCD chairperson Marca Bristo commended the senior White House and Administration officials and members of Congress who, by making time to participate in Monday's forum, have recognized the importance of addressing the ongoing barriers faced by people with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds. According to Bristo, "We are delighted to be working with LCCR and its chairperson Dr. Dorothy I. Height. We look forward to using this report and Monday's forum to begin a dialogue with the broader civil rights and disability communities to elevate the voices of minorities with disabilities and thereby make the policy landscape more inclusive and responsive to the needs of this important population."

The full report, which will be released later this year, follows up on a groundbreaking 1993 NCD report entitled Meeting the Unique Needs of Minorities with Disabilities. Bristo added, "Many of the findings reported in 1993 remain true six years later. Notwithstanding federal efforts to improve service delivery to minorities and other underserved groups, grassroots consumers have told NCD that little has changed that has resulted in tangible improvements in their day-to-day lives."

"For a large segment of the population, particularly those from diverse racial, cultural, and ethnic communities, a shameful wall of exclusion continues to hinder their ability to participate fully in all aspects of American society. As we mark the ninth anniversary of the signing of ADA, the declaration of equality made in 1990 remains hollow for many people with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds as they continue to struggle against the persistent barriers to poverty, inequality, and dual discrimination."

NCD's report contains a number of recommendations for the President and Congress, including a proposed multi-agency initiative to provide ongoing, intensive "know-your-rights" seminars in diverse communities throughout the country that would cover a range of disability civil rights laws and disability assistance programs.

NCD is an independent federal agency charged with advising the President and Congress on public policy affecting people with disabilities. It is currently coordinating a multi-year study on the implementation and enforcement of ADA and other civil rights laws.

For more information, contact Mark S. Quigley at 202-272-2004. For copies of the executive summary, visit NCD's award-winning Web site (http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/publications.html.)