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1993.07.26 :  Appointment -- Bob Williams to ADD

Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343
July 26, 1993

     HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today named Bob Williams to be
commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities.  Williams,
who was born with cerebral palsy, has been a leader in the disability rights
movement.
     At the same time, in a memorandum to top executives throughout the
department, Secretary Shalala called on HHS to "renew our commitment to the
recruitment, hiring and promotion of individuals with disabilities."
     Shalala's announcement and memorandum come on the third anniversary of
enactment of the American with Disabilities Act.
     "Bob Williams is the kind of person who reminds us again that we need to
look at abilities, not disabilities, when we hire and promote," Shalala said
of today's appointment.  "Bob brings with him a multitude of the abilities
that are needed in our HHS leadership."
     Williams, 36, has been a policy associate with the United Cerebral Palsy
Associations, Inc., spearheading the group's advocacy efforts in connection
with the Americans with Disabilities Act and personal assistance.  He has also
been co-chair of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities' Rights and
Personal Assistance Services Task Forces.
     Prior to his service with the UCPA, Williams was deputy director of the
Pratt Monitoring Program of the D.C. Association for Retarded Citizens.  He
was one of three U.S. District Court appointed monitors charged with
monitoring the closing of Forest Haven, the District's institution for people
with developmental disabilities, and the development of community support
services for those who had lived there.
     "Bob is a nationally recognized expert on the best ways to create
supports for people with multiple disabilities to live, work and play in their
communities," Shalala said.  "He believes in community -- not just as a place
to live, but as a complete way of life, for all of us."
     Williams also served as a program analyst for the Youth Policy Institute
in Washington, D.C., in 1983; and as a staff assistant on the U.S. Senate
Subcommittee on the Handicapped (now the Subcommittee on Disability Policy) in
1981-1982.
     He has been president of Hear Our Voices, an organization for people who
rely on augmentive communication devices; and vice president of the
Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps.
     Williams received a bachelor's degree in urban affairs from George
Washington University.
     In her memorandum today, Secretary Shalala told senior HHS managers to
"continue to improve the number and range of opportunities available to
individuals with disabilities." She asked executives to examine with managers
in their programs how to recruit qualified applicants with disabilities for
HHS careers.
     "HHS will be a leader in providing federal employment opportunities for
persons with disabilities, and I plan to monitor our progress in this area
closely," she wrote.
     More than 6,600 current HHS employees have a self-identified disability,
and about 1,700 have severely disabling conditions.
     The Administration on Developmental Disabilities is an agency of the
Administration for Children and Families.