"A Day in the Life of the ADA".  ADA Essays.
Williams on Bush.

Senator Tom Harkin, [log in to unmask],
writes:

July 26, 2000 will mark the 10th anniversary of the
signing of the
Americans with Disabilities Act. As those of us who
worked so hard
for the ADA predicted, the Act has taken its place among
the great
civil rights laws in our history.

On July 26, 1990, we as a country committed ourselves to
the
principle that disability in no way diminishes a
person's right to
participate in the cultural, economic, educational,
political, and
social mainstream. By eliminating barriers everywhere
from education
to health care policy, neighborhood streets to public
transportation,
from workplaces to shopping malls, and from courthouses
to Congress,
the ADA has opened up new worlds to people with
disabilities. People
with disabilities are participating more and more in
their communities
and living fuller lives as students, co-workers,
taxpayers, consumers,
voters and neighbors.

As part of the anniversary celebration, I am announcing
the "A Day
in the Life of the ADA" Campaign. I would like people
across the
country to send me stories about how their lives are
different because
of the ADA. We will use the stories to celebrate our
accomplishments
and to learn more about what we still must do to give
all Americans an
equal opportunity to live out their dream of
independence.

The Campaign will create a historical record of the
profound impact
the ADA has had on the daily lives of people with
disabilities, their
families and friends, and every American. I encourage
everyone to
share their stories about how the ADA has improved their
lives. For
example, I would like stories about:

How the ADA has eliminated segregation in education,
health care,
or the workplace.

How the ADA has increased the accessibility of schools,
colleges,
government and the workplace for people with
disabilities.

How the ADA has made it possible for people with and
without
disabilities to enjoy the smaller things that many of us
take for
granted: going out to a birthday dinner as a family, to
a movie or
museum with friends, or just going shopping for
groceries.

How the ADA has improved their lives in any other way.

I will tell these success stories on the floor of
Congress. I will
share them with other Members of Congress, policymakers
and the public
to show how the ADA has benefitted people with
disabilities and all
Americans and why it is such an important law.

So, I ask everyone to help me to build the record of the
ADA's
success by sending your stories by July 15, either by
e-mail or
regular mail, to:

[log in to unmask]
or
A Day in the Life of the ADA
c/o Senator Tom Harkin, 731 Hart Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510


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