Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise today to recognize the 51st anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the importance of the law to equal access for people with disabilities, including equal access to Federal technology. When it was signed into law on September 26, 1973, the Rehabilitation Act prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability by the Federal Government, in federally funded programs, and by Federal contractors. Passage of the Rehabilitation Act committed the Federal Government to ensuring that every person, including people with disabilities, have access to government programs and services. As with any legislation, enforcement is key. In the years following passage, people with disabilities needed to advocate that the Federal Government issue regulations and implement the law in order to ensure Federal services and products are accessible. Four years after passage, no regulations had been issued. At the beginning of April 1977, disability advocates started a month-long national protest, pressuring President Carter and his Cabinet. The protests lasted 26 days and resulted in implementation of the first Rehabilitation Act regulations. The Rehabilitation Act and the resulting regulations laid the groundwork for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. The Rehabilitation Act helped make the Federal Government more accessible for people with disabilities, but with time, new accessibility barriers emerged.…”