[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 3, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 3CFR7579]

Proc. 7579

Proclamation 7579 of July 26, 2002

Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2002

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

          The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is one of 
          the most compassionate and successful civil rights laws in 
          American history. In the 12 years since President George H. W. 
          Bush signed the ADA into law, more people with disabilities 
          are participating fully in our society than ever before. As we 
          mark this important anniversary, we celebrate the positive ef

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          fect this landmark legislation has had upon our Nation, and we 
          recognize the important influence it has had in improving 
          employment opportunities, government services, public 
          accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications for 
          those with disabilities.
          Today, Americans with disabilities enjoy greatly improved 
          access to countless facets of life; but more work needs to be 
          done. We must continue to build on the important foundations 
          established by the ADA. Too many Americans with disabilities 
          remain isolated, dependent, and deprived of the tools they 
          need to enjoy all that our Nation has to offer.
          My Administration is committed to removing the barriers that 
          prevent people with disabilities from realizing their full 
          potential and achieving their dreams. The New Freedom 
          Initiative, which I announced last year, builds on the hopeful 
          path of the ADA. It provides Americans with disabilities 
          increased access to assistive technologies, expands 
          educational options, and increases opportunities for them to 
          integrate into our workforce. We are committed to ensuring the 
          delivery of vital services to disabled persons in an 
          integrated, community-based setting.
          My Administration will continue to enforce the Americans with 
          Disabilities Act, and we will work with businesses and State 
          and local governments to increase partnerships that promote 
          the purposes of the ADA. Together, we are working for a day 
          when all people with disabilities are able to live and work 
          with dignity, freedom, and independence and realize their 
          potential as fully integrated members of our society.
          NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United 
          States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by 
          the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby 
          proclaim July 26, 2002, as a day in celebration of the 12th 
          Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I call 
          upon public officials, business leaders, people with 
          disabilities, and all Americans to pursue the ADA's full 
          promise of equal opportunity and to celebrate the expanded 
          freedom that the ADA has brought to American life.
          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-
          sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, 
          and of the Independence of the United States of America the 
          two hundred and twenty-seventh.

GEORGE W. BUSH