FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, July 29, 2000
Contact: Bill Mosley
Tel.: (202) 366-5571
DOT 148-00
U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater
Celebrates Passing of Torch for ADA
PHILADELPHIA -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today celebrated the achievements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as a torch relay commemorating the 10th anniversary of the landmark legislation passed through Philadelphia.
Secretary Slater, in remarks at today’s ceremony, said that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) took up President Clinton and Vice President Gore’s charge to create a transportation system that is inclusive of all Americans.
"As Rosa Parks demonstrated 45 years ago when she refused to yield her seat on that bus in Montgomery, Ala., access to transportation is fundamentally an issue of civil rights," Secretary Slater said. "Let that principle continue to guide our choices as we develop transportation policies in the 21st century."
In today’s event, participants exchanged the torch that is being carried across the United States to illuminate ADA’s achievements and reaffirm America’s commitment to equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for all people with disabilities. The relay began in Houston on June 11 and will conclude in New York on Aug. 7. On June 13, Rosalyn Millman, deputy administrator of DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Michael A. Winter, associate administrator of DOT’s Federal Transit Administration, carried the torch on behalf of the department as the relay passed through Austin, Texas.
Secretary Slater highlighted the many accomplishments over the past 10 years that have made transportation more accessible and more inclusive. These include increasing the nationwide fleet of accessible transit buses from 20 to 80 percent, issuing new rules requiring that new over-the-road buses be accessible, and eliminating the $2,500 cap on airlines’ liability for loss or damage to wheelchairs and other assistive devices. Just last week, NHTSA proposed new standards to improve the safety of platform lifts used to enter motor vehicles. In addition, the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21), which was signed by President Clinton this past April, includes numerous improvements in protections for disabled air travelers.
DOT also has developed, in conjunction with several other federal agencies and members of the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, a comprehensive plan to improve transportation services and systems for persons with disabilities. The plan, created in response to a 1999 presidential directive and recommendation from the task force, will be issued shortly.
Today’s ceremony caps a nine-day DOT celebration of ADA’s anniversary. On July 21, in a celebration of ADA at DOT headquarters in Washington, Secretary Slater was joined by former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elizabeth H. Dole, John Bartosiewicz, chairman of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and disability community leader Justin Dart.
###