Tom Harkin: “tomorrow, July 26, marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Observances and…”

“tomorrow, July 26, marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Observances and celebrations are being held and will be held all across the country. In fact, I attended three in Iowa over the weekend. There will be a big celebration tonight at the Kennedy Center where I look forward to introducing former President George Bush, the signer of the Americans with Disabilities Act, who will give the keynote address. On this 15th anniversary, we celebrate one of the great landmark civil rights laws of the 20th century, a long overdue emancipation proclamation for people with disabilities. We also celebrate the men and women from all across America whose daily acts of heroism and protest and persistence and courage moved this law forward to passage 15 years ago. In 1964, this country passed a civil rights bill. After much struggle, after the freedom riders and the marches in places such as Selma, AL, that are burned in our memories, we passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which closed a long, disgraceful chapter of segregation and discrimination, lack of equality of opportunity for Americans just based on race, mostly, sex, creed, and national origin. I can remember coming home on leave from the military some time after that. I was with my brother Frank who had been totally deaf since early childhood. I had seen how he had been discriminated against all of his lifetime.…”