“This week we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This law prohibits discrimination against those with disabilities in employment, education, public transportation and many other areas of daily life.
“Hard as it may be to remember, before the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted, the normal routines of life that many of us take for granted were often closed to people with disabilities. Now, because of ADA, these same people can add their abilities more fully to the life of our communities, enriching us all with their energy, experience, dedication, and intellect.
“I want to congratulate my good friends and former colleagues in the CNMI State Rehabilitation Council, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, NMAPASI, SILC, CILC, the Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Council, the administrators and teachers of PSS SPED, and the administrators and counselors of the Community Guidance Center.
“And I want to especially recognize Ms. Tee Abraham, a great advocate of individuals with disabilities, who retired just last month from government service.
“Of course, there is still work to be done.
“I am particularly concerned, as the representative of the Northern Mariana Islands in the U.S. Congress, that our Nation take full responsibility for those returning home from Iraq or Afghanistan with physical disabilities or mental trauma. Our national policies must provide these brave men and women with all the support they require.
“I am very happy to mark this day and celebrate the monumental achievement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And I look forward to continuing the work begun here in Congress twenty years ago to provide equality of opportunity in education, employment and independent living for all Americans, including those in the Northern Mariana Islands.”
