On February 1, 2001, within two weeks of taking office, President
Bush announced his New Freedom Initiative and laid out a bold plan to tear down
the stubborn barriers to equality that confront many of the 54 million
Americans with disabilities. He did so with the knowledge that:
- Students with disabilities graduate at far lower rates than
other students. Early access to support services and an accessible and
appropriate education can give Americas more than 6 million students with
disabilities an equal chance to succeed and a path to greater independence.
- Employment remains one of the greatest barriers for people with
disabilities. Of the 7.5 million people with disabilities on the Social
Security rolls, fewer than 1 percent ever leave those rolls to return to work.
People with disabilities deserve the chance to engage in meaningful work and to
contribute to Americas economy.
- Inaccessible transportation continues to inhibit the ability of
people with disabilities to take advantage of job training, employment, and
recreational opportunities. The Community Transportation Association of America
(CTAA) reports that more than 100 million low-income, older Americans and
people with disabilities are at risk of being unable to provide or afford their
own transportation. They are also more likely to be dependent upon others for
their mobility. CTAA also notes that almost 40 percent of rural counties
throughout the U.S. have no public transportation.
- Safe, stable, and accessible housing is necessary before people
with disabilities can enjoy neighborhood activities or explore job options.
However, according to a 2001 report issued by the Technical Assistance
Collaborative and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Task Force,
over 3 million non-elderly people with disabilities who receive Supplemental
Security Income cannot afford decent housing in the U.S. without government
housing assistance.
- Under Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999), the Supreme Court
required states to place qualified individuals with mental disabilities in
community settings, rather than in institutions, whenever treatment
professionals determine that such placement is appropriate, the affected
persons do not oppose such placement, and the state can reasonably accommodate
the placement, taking into account the resources available to the state and the
needs of others with disabilities. However, far too many people with
disabilities who would exercise the choice to live in the community are forced
to remain in institutions because of a lack of community-based services
available in their states and hometowns.
The New Freedom Initiative is a commitment to address these
barriers and others through programs and proposals that increase development of
and access to assistive and universally designed technologies, expand
educational opportunities, further integrate Americans with disabilities into
the workforce, and help remove barriers to full participation in community
life.
In the past 15 months, the Administration has taken many steps
toward fulfillment of New Freedom Initiative goals. The President secured
funding for many of the New Freedom Initiatives important programs in the
FY 2002 budget process.
Among the highlights is the Presidents Executive Order
13217, Community-based Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities,
directing his agencies to swiftly implement the Supreme Courts Olmstead
decision. The Executive Order charged six agencies the Departments of
Justice, Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, and Housing and Urban
Development, and the Social Security Administration with evaluating
their agency policies and programs to determine whether any should be revised
to improve the availability of community-based services for qualified
individuals with disabilities.
In December 2001, these agencies, joined by the Departments of
Transportation and Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management,
presented a preliminary report, Delivering on the Promise. The
agencies released the complete reports in March 2002, outlining over 400
solutions in areas such as housing, education, personal attendant services,
employment, health care structure and financing, caregiver support, and
technology to make community living possible.
Following the February 2001 New Freedom Initiative announcement,
numerous Cabinet members and agency heads embraced the New Freedom Initiative
mission, introducing additional activities that helped to advance the
objectives of the Initiative. For example, Department of Health and Human
Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced a series of grants to promote
community living. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao established a Youth
Advisory Committee to improve employment for youth with disabilities.
Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Project Action hosted
a dialogue with transit industry executives and disability leaders to increase
accessible transportation. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Cari
Dominguez created a series of workshops to assist small businesses in
recruiting and hiring people with disabilities. When the President voiced his
strong support of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires
that electronic and information technology purchased by the government be
usable by people with disabilities, many agencies quickly formalized plans to
institute the standards and expedite implementation.
More work remains to be done. Breaking down persistent barriers in
employment, transportation, housing, and community access requires sustained,
aggressive, coordinated measures nothing short of, in the
Presidents words, a revolution of independence. With the
commitment and resources of the Cabinet, and through new agency and private
sector partner-ships, the President will continue the campaign to advance the
full and equal participation of people with disabilities. The President
proposed increases in the FY 2002 budget totaling $1.38 billion to fund New
Freedom Initiative programs. Congress supported the Presidents priorities
by funding his initiatives. For FY 2003, the President has proposed increases
of $1.39 billion for New Freedom Initiative funding. The Administration will
continue to work with Congress to see that the New Freedom Initiative
commitments are implemented and that its proposals are realized.
An excerpt from A Progress Report on
Fufilling Americas Promise to Americans with Disabilities May
2002
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