Any administration can issuestatements on a civil-rights anniversary, although I suggest you read both Secretary Sebelius', that I've linked to here and the President's 20th anniversary Proclamation as they are both well-written and eloquent.
As I did my research about Obama and the ADA, however, I found much that would make a disabled voter proud that went under-reported in the mainstream or even political press. Follow me over the fold to read more.
Sometimes I don't think disability issues get a lot of play unless they are super-dramatic(disabled people blocking doorways or threatening hunger strikes) or they hit on some Middle American cry-point like a fresh-faced disabled grad using a device to "walk" down the aisle to get his diploma.
On that scale, the settlements with towns in Massachusetts, Indiana, and Kentucky fail to excite. There's no "Rudy" finish, there. Just an agreement that disabled citizens in smaller communities in America have a right to be able to read signs, use rest stops, and enter their courthouses. You can read more about the settlements here.
There is a reason why an ADA slogan is "Going Boldly Where Everyone Else Has Gone Before."
Here's another thing to blame the bad economy for...I didn't read reports of Rush Limbaugh's(ok, maybe John Stossel's) head exploding at the news that the Obama Justice Department presided overthe largest ADA settlement in history in 2009 with retail institution Sears.
It was found that the legendary chain did not make the effort to retrain or place workers injured on the job in new jobs the way the ADA requires, in effect terminating them illegally instead. I particularly enjoyed reading this blog's hyperventilated response...guess the HR Hero doesn't think Obama is a corporate tool.
Stay tuned for another diary about the administration and the "Olmstead decision".
1:40 PM PT: I decided to include a link to Obama's speech marking ADA's 20th anniversary.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/...