Duckworth Marks ADA Anniversary by Recommitting to Making America Truly Accessible for All
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Last night, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) delivered remarks at the American Association of People with Disabilities’ ADA Celebration, an event commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Senator spoke about her personal experience earning a disability in the years after the landmark legislation became law, the progress that has been made thanks to the fierce, tireless work of disability advocates as well as how far our nation still has to go to ensure that it is actually accessible for all who call it home. Photos of the event can be found here.
Key quotes:
“Thirty-three years ago, a thousand activists gathered outside the Capitol Building, demanding that Congress finally give Americans with disabilities the basic rights the Constitution promised. It’s thanks to the willpower shown by those activists that day that I can now roll through the Capitol’s corridors to cast my votes in the Senate chamber."
"Of course, there’s still more to be done. But the work that this group is doing, day after day, week after week, year after year—well, it’s a heck of a start. Now, there’s at least some consequence for treating those of us with disabilities as if we’re of no consequence. Because the truth is, every American is just one bad day away from becoming disabled, and everyone should hope to live long enough that they eventually gain some sort of disability."
"[Going forward,] this community has got to do what we do best: Come together. Organize. Speak out. Make sure that those of us lucky enough to be your representatives actually represent your needs. Because the Capitol Building might be my office, but it’s the people’s house. It’s your house. So please: Hold us accountable. Demand our attention. Demand our action. And I hope you know that along the way, I’m gonna be right beside you, striving to bring about a tomorrow where we won’t have to work so hard just to live our daily lives."
Full remarks as prepared:
Hello everyone!
First off, I want to thank you for inviting me to speak today.
But more importantly, I want to thank you for making today possible… for making my life possible. Because without the fierce advocacy of folks like you, this landmark legislation that changed so many of our lives would’ve remained a dream rather than a reality.
So tonight is a celebration of the strength of our community.
Tonight, we get to take pride in how far we’ve come over the past three decades… before tomorrow, when we need to roll up our sleeves and get back to work so we can make even more progress in the three decades ahead.
Thirty-three years ago, a thousand activists gathered a couple miles from this very spot, demanding that Congress finally give Americans with disabilities the basic rights the Constitution promised.
Dozens of those activists got out of their wheelchairs… set down their crutches… and one inch at a time, crawled up the 83 steps of the Capitol Building.
Jennifer Keelan, an 8-year-old with cerebral palsy, pulled herself to the top of the steps, telling those around her, quote: “I’ll take all night if I have to.”
It’s thanks to the strength of people like Jennifer that the logjam in Congress was broken, and that four months later the ADA was enshrined into law, helping Americans with disabilities lead the full lives we deserve.
It’s thanks to the sheer willpower shown by those activists that day that I can now roll through the Capitol’s corridors to cast my votes in the Senate chamber.
You know, my entry into the disability community was a world away from most people’s.
I’d never really been sick before. The Army had me in the best shape of my life.
Then in one day… in one moment... I went from the height of physical ability to a person with a disability.
But looking back, I think I was one of the lucky ones.
Because not only did I earn my disability at a time when the ADA was already law, but I also had the benefit of recovering at Walter Reed.
The doctors there didn’t tell me that my life as I knew it was over. No one said, “You can’t.” No one said, “You won’t.”
From the moment I opened my eyes, I was told that I could still do A, B and C… that one day soon, I would again be able to do X, Y and even Z.
But that’s far from the typical experience.
Too many Americans with disabilities get ground down by society.
They’re told no. Over and over and over again.
So while I feel lucky to have been that supported, I also feel like being supported shouldn’t be the exception. It should be the expectation.
Our society shouldn’t look at folks with disabilities and see what they can’t do, but how we can make happen whatever we want to happen.
To do that, we have to change our mindset, reframing how we think about disability issues.
Because while we’ve come a long way since the ink dried on the ADA, everyone in this room tonight knows how far we still have to go to make this country actually, truly accessible.
Look, it’s 2023.
Our community is already more than 61 million strong—a number that will continue to grow in the years ahead.
We shouldn’t still face a reality where some Americans can’t work or get to work… can’t go to school or to the grocery store. A reality where folks with disabilities can still legally get paid a sub-minimum wage.
We shouldn’t still have to worry about our medical equipment getting broken when we travel.
And we certainly shouldn’t have to keep pouring so much energy just into defending our most basic rights.
So you better believe that I’ve been working to get us closer to that more inclusive society we deserve.
That’s why I led the charge to pass legislation based on my ASAP Act, which will help install ramps and fix elevators in our public transit stations to ensure that America’s buses and trains are finally usable for everyone.
It’s why I am working to reintroduce a bill that would help break down the barriers that too many face when trying to access websites and other technologies—something critical to fully participating in our economy and society.
And after having several of my own wheelchairs damaged during flights, it’s why I am pushing for Congress to pass policy that requires airlines to treat our wheelchairs as what they are: complex medical devices, not just suitcases to be tossed around.
Of course, there’s still more to be done.
But the work that this group is doing, day after day, week after week, year after year… well, it’s a heck of a start.
Now, there’s at least some consequence for treating those of us with disabilities as if we’re of no consequence.
Because the truth is, every American is just one bad day away from becoming disabled, and everyone should hope to live long enough that they eventually gain some sort of disability.
Our laws should reflect that.
They should safeguard every American’s constitutionally enshrined rights rather than punishing the very people whom our country has already discriminated against for too long.
So until they do, this community has got to do what we do best:
Come together.
Organize.
Speak out.
Make sure that those of us lucky enough to be your representatives actually represent your needs.
Because the Capitol Building might be my office, but it’s the people’s house. It’s your house.
So please: Hold us accountable. Demand our attention. Demand our action.
And I hope you know that along the way, I’m gonna be right beside you, striving to bring about a tomorrow where we won’t have to work so hard just to live our daily lives.
I don’t want to take up too much of your time, so let me close by thanking you once more for all that you’re doing for our community.
I’m honored to call you my partners on the front lines.
Here’s to 33 years of the ADA. And here’s to accomplishing even more over the next 33!
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