Spotlight on 'Report of Federal Agencies' Actions'		     U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

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New Freedom Initiative

Fulfilling America's Promise to Americans with Disabilities

My Administration is committed to tearing down the barriers to equality that face many of the 54 million Americans with disabilities...My New Freedom Initiative will help Americans with disabilities by increasing access to assistive technologies, expanding educational opportunities, increasing the ability of Americans with disabilities to integrate into the workforce, and promoting increased access into daily community life.

* President George W. Bush in the Forward to the New Freedom Initiative *

The New Freedom Initiative

Executive Order 13217

The HHS Role

News & Additional Resources

Welcome

paraplegic typing with mouth piece children in art class
old man in wheelchair with woman girl walking with boy in wheelchair Welcome to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) New Freedom Initiative Web site. This site is dedicated to providing visitors with information about one of the priorities of the Bush administration: eliminating the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in community life. The New Freedom Initiative provides a comprehensive, government-wide framework for achieving that goal. man in wheelchair waiting to get on a bus

blind boy at camp Appropriate, quality health care is essential for all Americans, but for people with disabilities, it can mean the difference between living independently in the community or living in an institutional setting.

The Office on Disability is responsible for the Department's attention to and addressing of the President's New Freedom Initiative. As the nation's leading advocate for the health and welfare of all Americans, HHS is proud to play a central role in the President's New Freedom Initiative and its goal of community integration for people with disabilities.

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Last revised: November 04, 2003