Welcoming Remarks, Marca Bristo, First Meeting of Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities

Statement of Marca Bristo
NCD Chairperson
First Meeting of Presidential Task Force on Employment or Adults with Disabilities
April 22, 1998
The Great Hall, U.S. Department of Labor

As Chair of the National Council on Disability (NCD), I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with Secretary Herman, Chairman Coelho, and the other members of this Task Force to develop and implement a policy agenda that will truly empower people with disabilities to make choices, pursue meaningful careers, and participate fully in all aspects of American society-the goals for our nation set out in the Americans with Disabilities Act. People with disabilities are waiting for us to translate the rhetoric of the ADA into the reality of good jobs and a share of the remarkable prosperity being enjoyed by most Americans. I look forward to joining forces with this impressive group to open up real employment options for the millions of Americans who feel stuck in programs that were designed with an assumption that people with disabilities don't work.

As an independent agency charged with advising the President and the Congress on public policy issues affecting people with disabilities, NCD in 1996 convened a summit of a diverse group of more than 300 disability community leaders from the grassroots and Washington to set out the policy agenda for the disability community as we approach the 21st century. The work product that emerged from the summit, Achieving Independence, included a recommendation that the President issue an executive order establishing national goals for employment of people with disabilities. We at NCD commend President Clinton, Secretary Herman, and Chairman Coelho for expanding upon our concept and bringing together cabinet officials to create a coordinated and aggressive multi-agency strategy to bring working-age individuals with disabilities into gainful employment at a rate approximating that of the general adult population.

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary this year, NCD stands ready to work with the Task Force, the President and the Congress to eliminate the barriers that continue to keep too many Americans with disabilities from achieving their full potential. In addition to Achieving Independence and a recent follow-up Progress Report, we have provided Task Force members with copies of another recent NCD report entitled Removing Barriers to Work: Action Plan for the 105th Congress and Beyond. In these documents, you will see many good ideas that have been developed with leaders throughout our community to tackle some of the most difficult public policy issues facing people with disabilities in this country.

This Task Force has been given an historic opportunity to improve the quality of life and real choices available to generations of Americans with disabilities. NCD stands ready to lend our support to all of the efforts of the Task Force. We are particularly interested in working to ensure effective enforcement of disability civil rights laws; to reform the Social Security and publicly-funded health and long-term care programs to reward work and promote independence; to ensure that information technology is designed to be accessible to all people; and to address the unique needs of people with disabilities from minority and rural communities.

Let me close by commending our Chair and Vice Chair, Alexis Herman and Tony Coelho, for all your hard work in getting us all to this table today. But let's all recognize that our presence here alone is not enough. Today, almost eight years after passage of ADA, people with disabilities continue to be forced to live in poverty and isolation because of outdated public policies and societal attitudes. We must seize the opportunity the President has given us to breath life into the promise of the ADA and wield the considerable force of our collective agencies to break down the barriers that keep people with disabilities consigned to second-class citizenship. Let's all commit to fight the internal battles we will undoubtedly face so that in three years, as we all travel the country, we can see the tangible results of our efforts in a more productive and diverse American workforce.

Since we passed the ADA, America has attracted the attention of people with disabilities and governments around the world for our leadership in recognizing the rights of our citizens with disabilities. We now must use this Task Force to take the next step and promote the economic empowerment of Americans with disabilities that has, for too many, fallen short of the lofty goals of our laws. America is ready to take this next step. People with disabilities are ready. Let's role up our sleeves and find the way to make it happen. The world is watching. Let's show the way.