Equality of Opportunity: The Making of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Views from Congress and the White House

Disability Discrimination

Authorities on disability have often said, and I have quoted them on this floor before, that the history of society’s formal methods of dealing with people with disabilities can be summed up in two words: segregation and inequality.
Senator Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.¹

1. Senator Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., statement, Cong. Rec., v.134 (April 28, 1988), p. S5107.

Disability Rights

We know that there is going to have to be accommodations to give us our basic civil rights. We know that. We understand that. There is a cost involved. But isn’t there also a cost involved with us not being able to exercise our rights?
Congressman Tony Coelho²

2. Congressman Tony Coelho, statement, Senate Hrgs. (May 9, 1989), p. 7.

The Disability Community

Within a few weeks the ADA will become the law of the land because of the vision of the disability community. You knew in your hearts what we now write into law—that discrimination based on fear, ignorance, prejudice, and indifference is wrong. . . . The ADA is first and foremost the outcome of the extraordinary efforts of the disability community. This is your bill, and you earned it.
Senator Tom Harkin³

3. Tom Harkin, statement, Cong. Rec., v. 136 (July 13, 1990), p. S9689.

Changing the World

We are sent here by our constituents to change the world for the better. And today we have the opportunity to do that. . . . Many have asked: “Why are we doing this for the disabled?” My answer is twofold. As Americans, our inherent belief is that there is a place for everyone in our society, and that place is as a full participant, not a bystander. The second answer is less lofty. It is steeped in the reality of the world as we know it today. If, as we all suspect, the next great world competition will be in the marketplace rather than the battlefield, we need the help of every American. . . . We cannot afford to ignore millions of Americans who want to contribute.
Congressman Steny H. Hoyer⁴

4. Congressman Steny H. Hoyer, statement, Cong. Rec., v. 136 (May 17, 1990), pp. 2427 (first sentence), 2426 (second sentence).

Americans with Abilities

The road to enactment of this legislation was not easy. But in the process of reaching this goal, we have all learned something about the evils of discrimination in any form, and the importance of judging individuals by their abilities—not patronizing misconceptions, demeaning stereotypes, and irrational fears about their disabilities.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy⁵

5. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, quoted in “ADA: A Special Issue,” Worklife 3:3 (Fall, 1990), p. 19.

The Americans with Disabilities Act

No piece of legislation this Congress will pass articulates more forcefully and eloquently the purposes which must be embodied in our public policies and in our commitments as individuals and as a nation in order for America to thrive in the 1990s. It embodies a philosophy and constitutes a declaration in support of human possibility and capability. . . . With a powerful commitment to building a society which encourages and supports the efforts of each individual to live a productive life, there is no challenge which our Nation cannot meet.
Congressman Major Owens⁶

6. Congressman Major Owens, statement, Cong. Rec., v. 136 (July 12, 1990), p. H4622.

The American Dream

The time has come for the Senate to send a loud, clear message across this country: Individuals with disabilities, no less than all other Americans, are entitled to an equal opportunity to participate in the American dream. It is time for that dream to become a reality.
Senator Orrin G. Hatch⁷

7. Senator Orrin G. Hatch, statement, Cong. Rec., v. 135 (September 7, 1989), S10714

Independence

ADA will empower people to control their own lives. It will result in a cost savings to the Federal Government. As we empower people to be independent, to control their own lives, to gain their own employment, their own income, their own housing, their own transportation, taxpayers will save substantial sums from the alternatives.
Congressman Steve Bartlett⁸

8. Steve Bartlett, quoted in “ADA: A Special Issue,” p. 15.

The Time Has Come

I have supported the ADA because I believe it is a just and fair bill, which will bring equality to the lives of all Americans with disabilities. Our message to America is that inequality and prejudice will no longer be tolerated. Our message to people with disabilities is that your time has come.
Senator Robert Dole⁹

9. Senator Robert Dole, statement, Cong. Rec., v. 136 (July 13, 1990), S9695

Finding Balance

This historic civil rights legislation seeks to end the unjustified segregation and exclusion of persons with disabilities from the mainstream of American life. . . . The ADA is fair and balanced legislation that carefully blends the rights of people with disabilities . . . with the legitimate needs of the American business community.
Attorney General Richard Thornburgh¹⁰

10. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh, quoted in “ADA: A Special Issue,” p. 24.

The Shameful Wall

And now I sign legislation which takes a sledgehammer to another wall, one which has, for too many generations, separated Americans with disabilities from the freedom they could glimpse, but not grasp. Once again, we rejoice as this barrier falls, proclaiming together we will not accept, we will not excuse, we will not tolerate discrimination in America. . . . Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.
President George Bush¹¹

11. President George Bush, quoted in ibid., p. 11.