to contribute to his own health and well being, places on society. Those who feel it is cheaper to institutionalize a citizen than it is to work side by side with that same citizen have a false

perception.

years old.

I have worked in various jobs since I was sixteen (16)

Very little if any money was spent by my employers to allow me the right to work. At the age of 31, I will pay more tax per capita than 60% of other Americans. Because I have had an opportunity I will not cost the taxpayers $2,000 - $5,000 per month for my care and maintenance. ADA gives other Disabled Americans an

opportunity. The ADA will allow disabled people the privilege of PAYING INCOME TAX and it will prevent them from using the welfare

system for their care and maintenance.

Transportation is essential for a disabled person to maintain
There is not one of us in this room today who

self-sufficiency.

does not need some form of transportation in order to pursue employment, to recreate, or contribute effectively to society as a whole. Disabled people are disabled by the present transportation system in America today, but ADA will allow the disabled to become "differently able to use transportation as necessity dictates. This disabled user of transportation will PAY THE SAME TAXES FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF TRANSPORTATION that all others pay. Thereby again we will be contributing to our coffers as opposed to draining them. There is a Constitutional right to travel throughout this great land. ADA simply ensures that the Disabled American has the right to travel and use transportation which they have not been able to adequately exercise prior to this legislation.

Disabled people also have a right TO FAIR AND ACCOMMODATING HOUSING. Institutionalization is not fair nor is it accommodating. Disabled people have historically been considered sick and in need of a quasi-medical surrounding in which to live. This is a

misconception.

As a

The DISABLED PERSON WOULD CHERISH THE OPPORTUNITY TO PAY PROPERTY TAX OR ANY OTHER TAX that would result from ownership or occupancy in their own home. One factor that anchors the concept of Americana is the premise that a man's home is his castle. disabled person striving for independence, I would consider the opportunity of occupying a home which promotes this independence a true treasure. ADA ensures the 4th and 14th Amendment rights that the rest of Americans take for granted. It is an assurance for the Disabled whose INDEPENDENCE IS A GOAL AND PRIVATELY A DESIRE that often seems unattainable.

Mr. Chairman and Committee Members, each night the evening news depicts citizens from all over the world striving to become free and independent. The Berlin Wall and the fences that have held back East Germans from migrating to West Germany, are small hurdles compared to the walls of independence that the disabled people have been unable to scale. The Blacks in South Africa have more hope in achieving equality at the job place than does the disabled person in America. The Black South African is allowed to work but the

disabled American is encouraged to stay at home.

Therefore I encourage the Congress of the United States:
(1) to deliver independence to the Disabled American;
(2) to relieve the able-bodied American of a financial
burden that need not exist;

(3) to pass the Americans With Disabilities Act.

In 1776 we fought the war of independence for those truths which we proclaim to be self evident. In 1989 the Disabled American is still striving for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Hopefully through the passage of this Bill we too will be able to achieve our INDEPENDENCE.

Respectfully submitted,

Gregory S Fehribach

Mr. OWENS. Thank you. Mr. Barry Chambers.

STATEMENT OF BARRY CHAMBERS, COMMISSIONER, INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

Mr. CHAMBERS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Jontz. I am the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Human Services. We are a state agency in Indiana that provides services to more than one million needy Hoosiers.

We provide an array of services to people that are elderly, people with disabilities, children, families and people living in poverty.

It is time now though to end discrimination against people with disabilities. It is time to take this next step in the civil rights movement. It is time to pass the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Discrimination in any form is not acceptable in a country that prides itself on the belief that every person is entitled to an opportunity to be a contributing member of society.

The Americans With Disabilities Act moves equal rights for people with disabilities to a category of official compassion by guaranteeing every individual equal access in areas of employment, public transportation, accommodations, and communication.

Those of us who do not suffer from a disabling condition have a tendency to take our abilities for granted. We do not realize that some of the things that we do are not possible for all individuals. Countless numbers of Americans get up every day to take a bus to work, to have lunch at their favorite restaurant, to stop to use a pay telephone.

But there are people that cannot do these things. They cannot get on a bus because they use a wheelchair. Is it not ironic that those who cannot walk are also unable to ride. They cannot reach a pay telephone or use a water fountain or find a hotel room that will allow them mobility to perform routine functions of daily living.

The benefits to be gained with the passage of this legislation will be felt in the workplace, in the marketplace, and in the homes of people with disabilities throughout this country.

The contribution made by people with disabilities to their communities cannot be calculated in dollars and cents. There are those that see things only in terms of costs associated with the passage of this bill.

I ask you to consider the cost of having individuals who could be gainfully employed on tax supported programs. I ask you to consider the cost of a system that does not allow people the opportunity to be responsible citizens and contributing members of society for lack of the most basic considerations.

Surely it takes no genius to see that the contributions of these individuals as wage earners and taxpayers will certainly outweigh the initial costs of providing these kinds of reasonable accommodations.

In our country, people are judged by their abilities. The cruel joke is that everybody does not have the opportunity to demonstrate those abilities.

We hear a lot about the American dream, the equality of all citizens, the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness in one of the richest

nations in the world. As we enter the decade of the 90's, American technology has shown us a world that our parents only dreamed of.

The time has come to end discrimination, to guarantee equal opportunity to 43 million Americans with disabilities. To extend the American dream to all individuals with disabilities.

I know we have the ability to make changes in our physical surroundings, to make our world accessible to all. I know that we recognize our moral obligation to end discrimination against people with disabilities.

The Federal Government must set this example. No single piece of legislation will immediately solve all of the problems facing people with disabilities. But the ADA is an essential foundation upon which to build.

This legislation will provide the vital support for disability policies and encourage people with disabilities to work productively and to live independently in their communities.

Public hearings held since this legislation was initially introduced in 1988 have provided much first-hand testimony to legislators and community leaders that demonstrates discrimination and lack of access facing individuals who want to exercise their right to be contributing members of society.

Justin Durrett, a former commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration chaired a public hearing in Indianapolis last year on behalf of the Task Force on Rights and Enpowerments of Americans with Disabilities.

More than 100 people attended that hearing. One person after another related personal examples of discrimination they faced.

Mr. Durrett, speaking about the ADA said, "Thirty-seven years in the human rights movement has convinced me absolutely that we will continue to receive leftover rights, leftover jobs, and leftover resources for services until the Nation makes a firm, formal, and forceful statement to all of its citizens that people with disabilities are equal everyday, everywhere just like everyone else."

It is time for the Nation to make this statement. I ask you to remember the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the recent amendments to the Fair Housing Act. Each of these pieces of legislation was formed by the conscious of a nation. This bill is the first step in eliminating those situations which limit an individual's potential for work and normal living. I ask your support for the Americans With Disabilities Act. Thank you. [The prepared statement of Barry Chambers follows:]