Statement of Reverend Jackson

Workplaces will become

accessible,

opening the

opportunity of participation and accomplishment to millions of Americans. We spend $170 billion a year on disabled too much of it is spent maintaining dependency and

adults activity.

Public

accommodations,

transportation, and

telecommunications would no longer be unfairly and unjustly denied to disabled Americans.

When we open workplaces, we empower men and women also save money.

we

Fewer dollars will be spent maintaining dependency-more dollars will come in from taxpaying workers.

empowerment and

And that is one of the key lessons participation for minorities benefit all Americans.

moral

We know that integrating our society increases our integrity as a nation -- we must also remember it

strengthens us in practical terms.

When the deaf can communicate more freely, through TDD

devices, we all benefit from what they have to say.

Statement of Reverend Jackson

When a woman in a wheel chair can work instead of remain locked into a second class existence, we all win.

When people with AIDS are guaranteed basic civil rights, we all benefit. That is what the AIDS Commission understood when it called the ADA "model" legislation-civil rights literally protect the public health.

The support for this bill is widespread Leadership Conference on Civil Rights leads the list.

They understand that as long as any civil right is abridged, no civil right is secure.

We have seen many try to turn back the clock on civil

rights.

The Supreme Court has now thrown obstacles in the

way of decades of progress.

This bill offers us a chance to just say no injustice.

This bill offers us a chance to make our country

stronger.

Statement of Reverend Jackson

Romanticized versions of the pre-civil rights past have

made this country weaker

-

too many young Americans have

grown up knowing too little of the struggle and triumphs of

the civil rights movement.

We have a chance to turn away from this "nightmare recast as dream" approach to history. We have a chance to continue to open up our nation, a chance to continue to "form a more perfect union."

We have a chance to pay real tribute to our flag. How does the Pledge of Allegiance conclude?

under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

For all. Not just for white male landowners.

for the

Not just

conventionally abled. Not just for the HIV

negative. Not just for the English speaking.

justice for all."

"Liberty and

Statement of Reverend Jackson

Doctor King made it clear to Rosa Parks that it was better to walk in dignity than ride in shame.

History has since given us a glimpse of how much better still it is to ride in dignity.

The Americans with Disability Act will fulfill this dream for millions more Americans we should all be proud

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to work for this landmark legislation.

Thank you.

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Chairman OWENS. Thank you, Reverend Jackson. I yield to my co-chairman, Mr. Martinez, for questions.

Mr. MARTINEZ. Yes, I am not too sure I need to ask questions after that dynamic statement, but maybe we can enter into a dialogue because I think that we should talk about some of the things that might cost us the ability to move ahead expeditiously with this and we need to move ahead expeditiously now.

It has been several years that the rights of the handicapped have been debated and I can remember since first coming into Congress some seven years ago, that we were talking about doing something about it then.

Seven years later, we still haven't done it adequately and I think it is time that we need to move ahead, but you know, you were talking about people that are handicapped one way or another, I am not sure that we are not all handicapped in one way or another as you point out, except maybe if you are endowed by the grace of God with some special talent or some special ability of some kind that sets you apart and gives you preferential treatment in the world. But even then, I am not too sure that even the people who are that way are not handicapped in some other way. We are all somehow handicapped.

We talked earlier, and Mr. Gunderson talked about the individual that he hired in his office who was deaf, about the issues I think we all have had the experience of hiring someone at some point in time in that regard, and I don't think we should stand on our laurels and pat ourselves on the back or break our arm patting ourselves on the back for doing that. It is not doing anything that is extraordinary, I believe.

It is doing something that you normally should do if you thought right. The fact is that we hired a blind person into our office and we never gave it much thought. After working with us a year, he proved his merits to so many people that he was offered being the admissions director of a university at twice the salary we were paying him.

We couldn't much hold him back at that, but he was an individual that was sightless, but I think he saw much farther than many of us with sight. Working with him in that year, we became aware of his insight, as well as far-sightedness into the problems and situations that confront us on a daily basis in our office and was able to resolve many of the problems that we had there with constituents we had.

I think that deaf people hear beyond just the words. They hear the sentiments and feelings that many of us don't hear. But, what I really need to talk to you about is something that Mr. Bartlett said: "this is a bipartisan bill, but we have to do it right." You know so many times-and this is no reference to Mr. Bartlett himself, as I have sat with him now for seven years and know that he is very sincere in his desire to do the right thing-that "do it right" bit gets to mean that it doesn't cost me anything and it doesn't disturb the status quo.

I know that in your travels and your talking to people all over the country when you were running for the presidency, that you encountered opinions and ideas and opposition to the things we are trying to do. You have seen firsthand that some people oppose