Tom Harkin: “I commend the distinguished majority leader--or minority lead, excuse that little slip of the tongue there-- the Senator…”

“I commend the distinguished majority leader--or minority lead, excuse that little slip of the tongue there-- the Senator from Kansas, for his tireless leadership of the people of this country in the area of disabilities. Last night I went home and sat down on the sofa and reread Senator Dole's maiden speech given in this Chamber 25 years ago. I first read it during the debates on the ADA, and I went home last night and read it again. I thought, as I read it, just how prescient he was at that time, in 1969, and how far ahead of the curve he really was in thinking, conceptualizing about the role of people with disabilities in our society. For 25 years he has been a tireless leader in breaking down those barriers, the physical barriers and the attitudinal barriers, that people have in this country against people with disabilities. He has been in the forefront of every fight that this Congress had had to break down those barriers and open up opportunities from the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Education for all Handicapped Americans Act of 1975; of course, the Americans with Disabilities Act could not have gotten through without his strong leadership. Even in the international arena, Senator Dole has consistently pushed for the rights of people with disabilities.”