Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor my dear friend Marca Bristo and recognize her work as a disability rights activist and the community-based disability agency, Access Living, that she founded 30 years ago in my home State of Illinois. Access Living opened its doors in 1980 to ensure that people with disabilities had equal rights. Three decades ago, people with disabilities faced a world of dependency. Even though Congress had enacted important legislation such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to prevent discrimination and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 to expand learning opportunities for those with disabilities, people with disabilities still lacked equal rights. Social prejudice fueled discrimination against people with disabilities in housing, employment and basic public accommodations. The concepts of independent living, wheelchair accessible public transportation and quality jobs were not yet part of everyday life. Access Living was founded to insist on independent living options and higher quality of life for people with disabilities. The agency is governed and staffed by people with disabilities and operates under a fundamental belief that people with disabilities must become a political force if they are to effect social change. Marca Bristo, Access Living's president and CEO, knows that pride and commitment to social change is the most effective way to ensure that civil rights are enforced. This passion stems from a personal experience.…”