Presidential Document2021-16303
Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2021
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 29, 2021
Signed
July 26, 2021
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 143 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 143 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 40761-40762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16303]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 40761]]
Proclamation 10236 of July 26, 2021
Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities
Act, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Thirty-one years ago, on July 26, 1990, our Nation
moved closer to the fulfillment of its foundational
promise when we passed the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA). This landmark law affirms and protects the
fundamental rights of people with disabilities--the
right to equal opportunity, economic self-sufficiency,
independent living, and equitable participation in
every aspect of American life. For more than three
decades, the ADA has made our communities, our economy,
and our country stronger and more vibrant. It has
helped to uphold the dignity of the estimated 61
million Americans who live with a disability--in short,
it is a triumph of American civil rights.
I was enormously proud to co-sponsor the ADA, the
passage of which was a testament not only to fearless
advocacy, but to bipartisan progress. A Democratic bill
signed by a Republican President, the ADA was made
possible thanks in no small part to the passion and
persistence of Senators Tom Harkin and Ted Kennedy and
Congressmen Major Owens and Tony Coelho. I will never
forget the moment just after the ADA's passage, when
Senator Harkin delivered a speech in American Sign
Language from the Senate floor--a tribute to his older
brother, Frank, who was deaf. That moment was an
emotional reminder for all of us of just how personal
and powerful the passage of the ADA would be for
millions of American families.
Despite the extraordinary progress we have made over
the past 31 years, the fight for equitable access and
inclusion is far from over. The COVID-19 pandemic has
compounded the longstanding inequities and biases that
exist for people with disabilities; persistent
discrimination and the inability to access services
continues to threaten the health and well-being of far
too many Americans. Throughout the pandemic, people
with disabilities have faced heightened risks--
particularly those who lack access to caregiver or
support services, those who live in community homes,
and the disproportionate share of people with
disabilities employed in industries that suffered due
to the pandemic. Children and students living with
disabilities have also faced an especially challenging
year, forced to navigate and adapt to online learning
as the virus upended their usual school routines.
As we work to finish the job of defeating COVID-19, my
Administration is committed to building on the legacy
of the ADA. The American Rescue Plan is providing
funding to expand access to home- and community-based
services under Medicaid, which will allow more people
with disabilities to live safely and independently in
their homes. My Build Back Better agenda would build on
this by making significant investments in home- and
community-based services for people with disabilities
and older Americans. It will also spur the creation of
quality jobs with good pay, good benefits, and the
ability to organize and collectively bargain for
caregivers.
My Administration is also committed to advancing the
rights of people with disabilities in the workplace to
support economic self-sufficiency. I have proposed
eliminating outdated provisions in the Fair Labor
Standards Act that allow employers to pay workers with
disabilities less than the
[[Page 40762]]
minimum wage. My proposal includes funding this
transition with $2 billion to expand access to
competitive, integrated employment opportunities for
workers with disabilities. In addition, I am committed
to making the Federal Government a model employer--
including for people with disabilities--to set the gold
standard for how best to support inclusion and provide
appropriate accommodations. To that end, I recently
signed an Executive Order to advance diversity, equity,
inclusion, and accessibility in the Federal Workforce--
a pledge to lead by example to promote economic
stability and good paying jobs for Americans with
disabilities.
Before I became President, I promised that every policy
my Administration pursued--from rebuilding our middle
class, to fighting climate change, to achieving
universal health coverage--would be created with the
full inclusion and dignity of Americans with
disabilities in mind. I am proud to say that since my
first day in office, my Administration has delivered on
that promise. As we celebrate the monumental legacy of
the ADA, we recommit ourselves today to upholding and
strengthening its protections--and continuing to
advance equity, dignity, access, and inclusion together
with the disability community as we build our Nation
back better.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 26, 2021,
the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
I encourage Americans across our Nation to celebrate
the 31st year of this civil rights law and the many
contributions of individuals with disabilities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2021-16303
Filed 7-28-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P
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