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Remarks by the President in Announcement of New
Freedom Initiative
The East Room
February 1, 2001
THE PRESIDENT: Steven, you were brilliant in your
introduction. Little did we know -- we kind of thought we'd be sitting here
during the California race, didn't we? But here we are, and thank you so much
for being here.
I'm so honored that you all are here. I appreciate
the folks who served on my coalition for people with disabilities. There's one
hero here that I got to know during the campaign -- his name is Jim Mullen. Jim
is from Chicago. He's a police officer, wounded in the course of duty, who is a
courageous, fine American. And, Jim, thank you so very much for coming today.
(Applause.)
[President George W. Bush at announcement of New
Freedom Initiative.] I'm glad the First Lady is here. It's an unusual job where
all you've got to do is walk down from your living room and come to work.
(Laughter.) I'm really proud of Laura.
It's good to see members of the Congress who are
here. Thank you all for coming as well. I'm especially pleased that people from
all around the country have taken time to help kick off this important
initiative.
One of the things I enjoy most about my new job is
the walk I get to take every single morning, up the colonnade from the
residence to the Oval Office. I say "up," because the path rises just slightly.
It's been that way since they took out the steps, so that Franklin Roosevelt
could make it to his place of work.
This house is among the first places in America to
accommodate people with disabilities. And we have come a long way since the
days when only a President could hope for that consideration. We are more
mindful now of the hardships that come with disability, more generous in
responding to the needs of our citizens, more grateful for the contributions
you make to our society.
Old misconceptions about physical and mental
disability are being discredited. Old barriers are falling away. Our task is
now clear: We must speed up the day when the last barrier has been removed to
full and independent lives for every American with or without disability.
(Applause.)
I am proud that the last great reform in this cause,
the Americans With Disability Act, bears the signature of my dad. (Applause.) I
see many in this audience who helped him get this important legislation through
Congress, and I want to thank you for coming. Because of that law, millions of
Americans can now compete for jobs once denied them; enter buildings once
closed to them; travel on buses and trains once unequipped for them.
For those who have hearing or visual impairments,
for those who use walkers and wheelchairs or have mental retardation and mental
illnesses, your own country now seems a more welcoming place as a result of
that law. Eleven years after the ADA, we are a better country for it.
But there is more to do, and today I propose we move
forward. This morning I sent to Congress a set of proposals called the New
Freedom Initiative. It is an important step in ensuring that all Americans with
disabilities, whether young or old, can participate more fully in the life of
their communities and of our country.
Wherever a door is closed to anyone because of a
disability, we must work to open it. Wherever any job or home, or means of
transportation is unfairly denied because of a disability, we must work to
change it. Wherever any barrier stands between you and the full rights and
dignity of citizenship, we must work to remove it, in the name of simple
decency and simple justice.
Often, as you know, such barriers are unintentional.
One is the high cost of assistive technologies. For many people with
disabilities, new technologies are helping to defeat dependence and frustration
and isolation: Text telephones for those with hearing impairments. Computer
monitors for those with visual impairments. Infrared pointers for people who
cannot use their hands, allowing them to operate computers by pointing at
functions on the monitor or the keyboard. Lighter wheelchairs. Lighter
artificial limbs. These modern wonders make the world more accessible; yet,
they are often inaccessible to people who need, but cannot afford them. These
technologies were once beyond the dreams of Americans with disabilities. Today,
they're only beyond their means; and we can help.
In our New Freedom Initiative, we're asking Congress
to significantly increase federal funding for low-interest loans so that more
Americans with disabilities can purchase assistive technology. And to ensure
that even better technologies are available in the future, we're asking
Congress to increase federal investment in assistive technology research and
development.
My administration will also work with businesses to
bring more assisting technologies to the marketplace. Once available, these
technologies will allow Americans with disabilities to use more of their own
gifts, make more of their own choices and lead lives of greater independence.
Many Americans with disabilities work, or would like
to have more freedom to do so. And you know that the greatest challenges are
often not in the job itself, but in the distance between your job and your
home. For some people with disabilities, this challenge means no job at all; no
opportunity to work and to contribute and to use their talents.
This is changing as more Americans work at home. Yet
here, too, the cost of computers and telecommuting are sometimes beyond the
means of those with disabilities. And we can help. In our New Freedom
Initiative, we are asking Congress to create a fund to help people with
disabilities to buy the equipment they need to telecommute. We will provide tax
incentives to encourage employers to provide such equipment. And we will
protect home offices from needless OSHA regulations.
Some 40 million Americans today work out of their
homes. For most, it is a convenience. For workers with disabilities, it is a
revolution. And we want as many Americans as possible to share in this
revolution |
