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REMARKS BY: TOMMY G. THOMPSON, SECRETARY, OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PLACE: National Listening Session on Compliance with the Olmstead Act, Washington, D.C. DATE: September 6, 2001
Thank you very much, Claude.
Today we've heard from some extraordinary people - men and women whose commitment to human dignity is matched by their forthrightness and courage. For me personally, over the past hour it's been good to hear the candid comments of such a cross-section of individuals. Let me thank you for your remarks and for your willingness to share them in a public environment like this.
The Greek philosopher Epictetus reminded us that, "Nature gave us one tongue and two ears so we could hear twice as much as we speak." My father told me pretty much the same thing. It's good counsel, and today, my colleagues at the Department of Health and Humans Services and I have tried to take it to heart.
We have listened with interest to your concerns and observations about President Bush's Executive Order on Community Based Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities. You have challenged us and encouraged us, for which I thank you.
As you know, the President signed this Executive Order on June 18. We held an event commemorating the 11th anniversary of the ADA in the Great Hall of HHS to celebrate the successes of the ADA and also discuss the President's Executive Order.
The Executive Order is an essential part of the President's New Freedom Initiative for people with disabilities. The President announced the New Freedom Initiative as one of his first acts in office in order to send a strong message that this Administration wants to break down barriers for people with disabilities. The New Freedom Initiative also fulfills the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law by the first President Bush in 1990.
The President's Executive Order provides a historic opportunity to enable people of any age who have a disability to live and participate in their communities.
The Executive Order directs federal agencies to do several important things:
First, to work together to help states achieve the goals of the ADA.
Next, to make sure that existing federal resources are used in the most effective manner to support the goals of the ADA and to swiftly implement the Supreme Court's landmark decision in the Olmstead case, which ruled that placing people with disabilities in institutions when they don't need to be there violates the ADA.
Third, to evaluate agency policies, programs, statutes, and regulations, and determine whether they should be changed in order to improve the availability of community-based services for people with disabilities.
And finally, to involve consumers, advocacy organizations, providers, and relevant agencies in evaluating how they are meeting the requirements of the ADA.
We will submit the results of these evaluations to the President by October 16.
I am pleased and honored that the President asked me to lead my colleagues in other federal agencies in carrying out the tasks assigned to us by the Executive Order.
We all believe that the federal government can and must do more to bring people with disabilities into the mainstream of American life.
We all are committed to breaking down barriers and opening doors. And we all want to take a hard look at the programs our agencies operate, and the rules that govern those programs, to see whether change and modernization should take place in order to meet the goals of the A-D-A and the New Freedom Initiative.
To that end, I am instructing HHS to review and take steps to address the institutional bias that many have criticized in the Medicaid program. This review is part of the self-evaluation process I mentioned earlier that's directed by the President's Executive Order. The self-evaluation will be reported to the President on October 16, and will help us better define how to improve this important part of the Medicaid program.
We also have to do more to ensure that funding for long-term services follows each person in accordance with their needs, rather than being divided up in a way that all too often forces people with disabilities and their family members to engage in a frustrating search for necessary resources and supports. And we've got to better ensure that there are adequate service providers in the community and that we provide enough support for these providers . and for the family members and friends who often provide most of the day- to-day care and support for people with disabilities.
To help advance these goals, HHS is inviting proposals from states, in partnership with their disability and aging communities, to design and implement effective improvements in community long-term support systems. These systemic changes will help disabled children and adults of any age to live in the community setting best suited to their needs, to have greater choice in their living arrangements, provider services and the way they receive assistance and to obtain quality services in the most efficient manner possible.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will provide "Systems Change for Community Living" grants to help states achieve these goals as they re-think how best to serve their disabled communities. Up to $70 million will be available for this grant program.
We are also committed to helping people with disabilities become better integrated in their communities. That's why, as I mentioned, a crucial part of our effort under the Executive Order is to ensure that people with disabilities and their family members, advocacy organizations, providers, agency representatives and others have the opportunity to be involved and provide their input into the federal self-evaluation process.
And that's also why we all need to be dedicated to fulfilling the goals of the Executive Order after the self- evaluation report is submitted to the President on October 16. This isn't about just producing another government report that's issued with fanfare and then collects dust. It's about helping people lead better lives. That's a goal that deserves our best efforts and effective action.
My colleagues and I have come today because we have wanted to learn from you. In order to make real progress, we must first listen to you -- the people who know the barriers better than anyone else could. We can't properly do our job without your help.
But just as we have listened, we now need to be ready to apply what we learn - and keep working together as a team. Henry Ford knew a few things about the importance of teamwork. His automated assembly lines all depended on teams of people working together with precision and mutual trust. In his words, "Coming together is a beginning . staying together is progress . and working together is success."
By working together, we can offer the President a review of federal policy that can lead to significant improvements in the lives of so many Americans, and that can go a long way toward enabling disabled Americans to fully integrate in every sphere of life. That's the real goal of the ADA, and it's ultimately why we're here today.
Thank you for your willingness to come and share your experiences and ideas with us. We are eager to partner with you as we pursue the goal of greater opportunity - and greater hope - for you and for all Americans.
Thank you very much.
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