[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 147 (Thursday, July 31, 2014)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 44251-44252]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-18143]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 79 , No. 147 / Thursday, July 31, 2014 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 44251]]
Proclamation 9148 of July 25, 2014
Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, 2014
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Over two decades ago, Americans--some in wheelchairs,
some using sign language, and all with an abiding
belief in our Nation's promise--came together to
strengthen our commitment to equality for all. At a
time when people with disabilities were turned away at
movie theaters, rejected for employment, and measured
by what so many thought they could not do, leaders and
activists refused to accept the world as it was. In
small towns and big cities, they spoke out. They staged
sit-ins, authored discrimination diaries, and scaled
the Capitol steps. Finally, they realized their call
for simple justice in one of the most comprehensive
civil rights bills in our country's history. On the
anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA), we honor those who fought against
discrimination, and we recommit to tearing down
barriers and guaranteeing all Americans the right to
pursue their own measure of happiness.
The ADA promises equal access and equal opportunity--
regardless of ability. It secures each person's right
to an independent life, and it enables our country and
our economy to benefit from the talents and
contributions of all Americans.
Even as we commemorate this milestone, we recognize
that too often, casual discrimination or fear of the
unfamiliar still prevent disabled Americans from
achieving their full potential. That is why my
Administration is pushing to fulfill the promise of and
better enforce the ADA. Fifteen years after the
Olmstead decision--in which the Supreme Court ruled it
discrimination to unjustifiably institutionalize
someone with a disability--we have increased the number
of homes integrated into communities that are available
for persons with disabilities. Under the Affordable
Care Act, insurance companies are banned from
discriminating on the basis of pre-existing conditions,
medical history, or genetic information. Expanding on
my Executive Order to establish the Federal Government
as a model employer of individuals with disabilities,
my Administration is also providing Federal contractors
with the tools and resources to recruit, retain, and
promote people with disabilities.
The nearly one in five Americans living with a
disability are our parents, children, neighbors,
colleagues, and friends. They are entitled to the same
rights and freedoms as everyone else. Today, we
celebrate their accomplishments, stand against
discrimination in all its forms, and honor all who
sacrificed so future generations might know a more
equal society.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim July 26, 2014, the
Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I
encourage Americans across our Nation to celebrate the
24th anniversary of this civil rights law and the many
contributions of individuals with disabilities.
[[Page 44252]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord two
thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
ninth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2014-18143
Filed 7-30-14; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F4