Sam Brownback: “I rise today to remember an important occasion that represents 15 years in our Nation's history and welcome the…”

“I rise today to remember an important occasion that represents 15 years in our Nation's history and welcome the opportunity to speak on these issues which are near and dear to my heart. On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, with bipartisan support in Congress under the leadership of then-Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, my predecessor from Kansas, and thanks in large part to the dedication and hard work of my current colleague, the good Senator from Iowa, Tom Harkin, as well as current Senators Charles Grassley of Iowa and Daniel Inouye of Hawaii. Today we must continue to dismantle, brick by brick, the ``shameful wall of exclusion'' that existed in the United States previous to the existence of the ADA. And, building on our 15 years of experiences in tearing down the wall of exclusion, we must continue to bring to realization the full promise of the ideas entailed in the ADA. To carry on this significant legacy, we must recognize that, today, we face new challenges and new policy considerations. It is estimated that there are now in America 50 million citizens with some sort of disability. An amazing individual from Kansas who visited D.C. last week to tell his story is 7-year-old Matthew Whaley. Matthew was denied access to the local recreation department's baseball league because he happened to have cerebral palsy.…”