THE LEADER IN FIGHTING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
"To have sponsored and championed the Americans with Disabilities Act
is the proudest achievement in my public life."
Tom Harkin
July, 1991
"Tom Harkin provided courageous statesmanlike leadership in the Senate
to negotiate a law,the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is a
true mandate for equal opportunity but at the same time is completely
fair to business and to taxpayers. He transcended politics as usual
and subservience to powerful special interest groups to stand firm for
justice and the Interest of people with disabilities and all
Americans. When the next edition of Profiles in Courage is written,
the first chapter should be about Tom Harkin."
Justin Dart, Chairperson
President's Committee on
Employment of People
with Disabilities
Speech, Des Moines, lowa
October, 1989
Tom Harkin is the leader and champion in the Senate fighting to extend
civil rights for people with disabilities and for expanding and
improving programs that enhance their lives.
Tom Harkin's commitment to people with disabilities is deeply
personal. He has a brother who is deaf and a nephew who is
quadriplegic. Tom Harkin is conversant in sign language.
In just four years as chair of the Subcommittee on Disability Policy,
Tom Harkin has authored over 10 bills that have been enacted into law.
He is widely recognized for his leadership on disability policy by
national groups, receiving over 50 awards for his efforts.
Among Tom Harkin's accomplishments are:
* Authored the Americans with Disabilities Act, omnibus civil rights
legislation that extends civil rights protections to people with
disabilities in areas such as employment, public accommodations,
public services (including transportation), and telecommunications.
* Authored the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, which
requires that newly manufactured televisions include decoder circuitry
to display closed-captions by 1993.
* Led the fight to extend protections for people with disabilities
under the Fair Housing Act.
* Fought for significant increases in appropriations for programs
enhancing the lives of people with disabilities.
* Created the Institute for Deafness and Communication Disorders
within the National Institute of Health. The Institute researches
hearing and communication disorders to help improve the quality of
life for those with deafness and hearing disorders, including the
ever-growing number of older Americans experiencing hearing loss.
* Established a new program for making assistive technology devices
and services more available to persons with disabilities. This helps
enable individuals with disabilities to lead more independent and
productive lives.
* Strengthened the government's commitment to education programs for
the nearly 4.5 million children with disabilities and to early
intervention programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities.
* Sponsored legislation improving advocacy programs for our citizens
with mental illness and developmental disabilities.
Tom Harkin believes that a lot more needs to be done to ensure that
the promises of independence and inclusion for people with
disabilities become realities.
Tom Harkin wants to see an America:
* Where people with disabilities, including those with significant
disabilities, can make meaningful contributions to their family and
their community.
* Where people with disabilities are provided a choice to live in
their own homes and communities and to receive an education, work, and
play alongside nondisabled peers.
* That addresses the need for affordable health care, including the
elimination of exclusions for pre-existing conditions.
* That addresses the need for consumer-directed personal assistance
services for those with physical and mental disabilities.
* That provides a Social Security system that rewards independence,
not dependence.
