By Rep. Steny Hoyer (D- Md.) and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), McClatchy-Tribune Information Services in the Modesto [California] Bee and the Olympia [Washington] Olympian:

In the House, the ADA Amendments Act won the support of 402 representatives, with only 17 opposed. We had wished that Congress would pass this bill in time for an anniversary that means so much to millions of Americans with disabilities. And we’re hopeful that the Senate will act soon.

Few kinds of discrimination, in all of history, have been more widespread than the exclusion of those with disabilities. But it was America that passed a pioneering law to help end that exclusion. We were the first in the world to do so, the world’s model on this central challenge to human rights.

Eighteen years later, we cannot afford to fall behind. We hope that the Senate will pass the ADA Amendments Act, and that the president will sign it, bringing one step closer the day when the fruits of life in America are at last available to all.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 at 3:20 pm and is filed under ADA, commentary, law, politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.