President Bush Discusses His Commitment to Americans with
Disabilities
Captec Assistive Technology Center
U.S. Department of Defense

10:19 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Mr. Secretary, thank you very much
for your hospitality and your leadership. Senator Jeffords, Congressmen
Green, Horn and Langevin, thank you all for coming. It's good to see you
all. Four members of the United States Congress have had a piece, a hand
in the strategy that I'm about to talk about, and I thank them for their
leadership.

Dinah, thank you very much. It's always a joy to be around somebody who loves what she's doing. An enthusiastic soul, and someone who is making people's lives better. And I really appreciate you having me here. I want to thank David Shu for his work, and I want to thank Rhett Dawson as well, who is the President of the Information Technology and Industry Council.

My fellow Americans, when the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed in 1990, our nation made a promise we will no longer underestimate
the abilities of Americans with disabilities. We will treat Americans with
disabilities as people to be respected, rather than problems to be
confronted.

Our nation has made progress in both attitude and law. Navigating
through buildings and buses is far easier than it was just a decade ago.
Now, the growth of new technologies creates new hopes and new
obstacles.

The Internet brings a world of information into a computer screen,
which has enriched the lives of many with disabilities. Yet, technology
creates challenges of its own. The brilliant graphics that add life to many
web pages can make it difficult for a visually impaired person to get the
information he or she needs from a web site. Video technology is turning
many computers into television sets.

Yet, without closed captioning, many see a picture and no words. And
complex keyboard commands make it difficult for a person with impaired
motor skills to tap a computer's full potential. As a result, computer usage
and Internet access for people with disabilities is half that of people
without disabilities.

Researchers here at the Department of Defense and at other agencies
throughout the federal government and in the private sector are
developing solutions to these problems. I have just had the opportunity to
tour the department's assistive technology center, and I saw technologies
that are helping people with disabilities enjoy the full range of opportunities
made possible by the technology boom.

Software allows hearing impaired people to communicate with their
co-workers by computer. Screen reading technology makes it possible for
the visually impaired to access information on a monitor. And voice
recognition software unlocks new computing possibilities for people with
impaired dexterity.

The technologies on display here have helped more than 20,000
Defense Department employees enjoy greater access to communications
and computing equipment. And they will help countless individuals in the
public and private sectors become fully integrated into the workplace. I'm
committed to bringing that technology to users as quickly as possible. And
I'm committed to ensuring that government web sites become compatible
with this evolving technology.

And that is why I'm pleased to announce that when Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act, offered by Jim Jeffords, becomes effective for all federal
agencies next Monday, there will be more opportunities for people of all
abilities to access government information. Section 508 requires federal
agencies to make sure that the electronic and information technology they
use is accessible for people with disabilities.

Increasingly, Americans use information technology to interact with
their government. They rely on thousands of government web pages to
download forms, learn about federal programs, find out where to turn for
government assistance, and communicate with elected officials, such as
the President. And because of Section 508, government web sites will be
more accessible for millions of Americans who have disabilities.

Section 508 will also make the federal government a better employer,
as roughly 120,000 federal employees with disabilities will have greater
access to the tools they need to better perform their jobs. This is one
example of the successful public-private partnerships that are removing
barriers to full community participation by Americans with disabilities. I
thank the leaders from the technology industry who are with us today for
your innovation and your ongoing cooperation.

Full implementation of Section 508 is a key element of an agenda I
announced a year ago, and began implementing in February. It is called
The New Freedom Initiative, and its goal is to prepare -- is to help
Americans with disabilities realize their potential and to achieve their
dreams.

We've asked Congress to increase funding to bring assistive
technologies to market more quickly, to help make them more affordable
for the people who need them, and to speed research in developing new
technologies. We have sought to make it easier for Americans with
disabilities to enter the work force by finding new ways to get people to
their jobs, relying on new technologies to help people work from their
home.

We recognize the small businesses and community groups like
churches, synagogues, mosques and civic organizations may have trouble
finding the resources to fully comply with the ADA. So we've asked
Congress to support efforts to help them make their facilities more
accessible. And we understand that new policies will mean little if we
don't fully enforce the ADA. So my administration is doing just that.

While these federal efforts are crucial to guaranteeing full accessibility
for Americans with disabilities, we must also help them connect with their
local communities. So I've signed an executive order requiring full
implementation of the Supreme Court's 1999 Olmstead
Decision. (Applause.) Olmstead and the ADA rightly mandate that
individuals with disabilities who can receive support and treatment in a
community setting should be given a reasonable opportunity to live close
to their families and friends when appropriate.

My executive order directs key federal agencies, like the Departments
of Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education and Justice and the Social Security Administration to work with
states to implement the Olmstead decision and the ADA. It directs those
agencies to explore how we can increase community-based services for
people with disabilities. And it directs Attorney General Ashcroft and
Secretary Thompson to fully enforce Title II of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, and ensure that no one is unjustly
institutionalized. (Applause.)

Secretary Thompson has also made seed money available to help every
state develop a plan for implementing Omlstead. The Olmstead Executive
Order will increase freedom for people with disabilities. It is
compassionate. It is needed. And it is now the federal official policy of
my administration. Americans must have the opportunity to live
independently, work productively and participate fully in community life.

Many Americans achieve this independence through home ownership;
but, too often, the high cost of therapeutic care and assistive equipment
and technologies make the goal of home ownership unattainable for people
with disabilities. That's why I'm optimistic about a pilot program led
through the Congress by Representative Mark Green, and soon to be
implemented by Secretary Mel Martinez at HUD, that will allow many people
with disabilities to buy their own homes. By making the Section 8
low-income rental assistance program more flexible, the federal
government can make home ownership a reality for more Americans.

The new Section 8 HUD pilot program, the Olmstead Executive Order,
and the full implementation of Section 508 will help eliminate the barriers
that many Americans with disabilities face. The proposals I sent to
Congress will build on our society's commitment to welcome all Americans
as friends and neighbors. When governments, business and individuals
work together, to build a welcoming society, Americans of every ability will
benefit.

Thank you for what you're doing here at the Department of Defense.
Thank you for your compassion. And may God bless America.

END 10:29 A.M. EDT

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