For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 19, 2001
Washington, D.C.
President Bush Discusses His Commitment to Americans with Disabilities
Captec Assistive Technology Center
U.S. Department of Defense
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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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