Secretary Anthony Foxx
Remarks at the National Council on Independent Living’s Annual Conference
Washington, DC • July 28, 2014
Remarks as prepared for delivery
Thanks, everybody – thank you for having me. And let me thank Kelly Buckland, too, for the introduction.
In fact, I want to begin by talking a little bit about Kelly today. Because I’m told that a couple of years ago Kelly received an award for his work – one of many. But this award was unique because it wasn’t specific to his work within the disability community.
Instead, it was a broader award – one for human rights, for civil rights.
And when he got to the podium, Kelly pointed that out. He said that too often, “mainstream America” didn’t recognize disability rights in this context. He said that he was – and I’m quoting here – “impressed that the award acknowledged that disability rights ARE civil rights.”
Well, this is why I’m here.
Because I agree – disability rights ARE civil rights. And transportation has a role to play in advancing them.
In fact, the history of civil rights has always been tied together with the history of transportation. America’s roadways and railways have always been battlegrounds for justice.
After all, when Rosa Parks sat down for freedom, she did it on a bus. Then, there was John Lewis who marched in Selma over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. And there were the freedom riders, who bravely boarded the Greyhounds. And there was Homer Plessy, too, who tried to desegregate a white’s-only rail car.
Now, some people may look at those examples and say, “the fight for equality – at least when it comes to transportation – is done.” After all, no one has to sit at the back of the bus anymore.
But as Kelly reminds us – and as you all remind the country – the fight is not done.
The fight is not done because – although no one has to sit at the back of the bus – there are still some people who cannot reach the bus.
The fight is not done because – although there are no longer separate railway cars – there are some people who cannot board the train in the first place.
Disability rights ARE civil rights. And while we rightly contemplate Dr. King’s dream in this country, we also need to contemplate the dreams of people like Justin Dart and Michael Winter and Marilyn Golden and Tim Sheehan.
Because their dreams are the same dream.
And part of it is that transportation in America shouldn’t just take SOME people everywhere. It should take EVERYONE ANYWHERE. No matter their ability. And at the Department of Transportation, we’re committed to exactly that.
We’re committed, first and foremost, because we understand that this isn’t just about equality in the broadest possible sense – it’s about equality in the most specific possible sense. An equal chance to make money, to get a degree, to live a life of purpose without having to rely on somebody else.
At DOT we know, as you do, that transportation can be a make or break aspect in the lives of people with disabilities. If it’s accessible, it can be a ladder to opportunity.
There’s the story of James Evans, a man from Prince George’s county whose disability prevented him from driving. So he learned how to take the bus – and the first ride he took, he went to the local community college and filled out an application. Now, he’s getting his degree.
It’s stories like his that prove that if folks with disabilities can just get to school, they can GO to school. If they can get TO a job, they can get a job.
I leave it to you to pass final judgment on how much progress we’ve made on this score. But here’s my take:
This weekend was the 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And I think the data shows that we’ve made big improvements over the last quarter-century.
Today, close to 98 percent of key transit stations are accessible for folks with disabilities.
If you’re a paratransit user, your phone can notify you when your ride arrives.
And at DOT, our backlog of unaddressed ADA complaints when it comes to transit is at all-time low. In fact, we don’t have a backlog.
So we’re proud of all this at DOT. We’re proud – but we’re not satisfied. And we’re not satisfied because YOU are not satisfied. Nor should you be.
The fact is: As a country, we’re underinvesting in transportation. (By one measure, we’ll be $850 billion short of what we should spend on surface transportation by 2020). And that is harming all Americans, including the 56 million with disabilities.
Today, in cities, there are still sidewalks without curb cuts, designed as if no one in a wheelchair would ever need to use them. And then there are rural areas that you could call transit deserts – places where the elderly are stranded without a ride.
And we all know passenger rail still struggles to accommodate passengers with disabilities – and so do airlines.
So I hear you. Loud and clear, I hear you: As a country, we must do more.
And I can promise you that – at DOT – we will. In two ways:
First, we’re going to keep holding operators to account. We will ensure that everyone is living up to their responsibility, making our transportation system as fair as possible.
In fact, last fall, we leveled a $1.2-million-dollar penalty against an airline for failing to provide adequate wheelchair assistance. And over the last 11 years, we’ve assessed over $16 million in penalties for violations of the Air Carrier Access Act.
Second, we won’t just fight for you – we’re going to invest in you. This spring, the administration put forward the GROW AMERICA Act. It’s the administration’s first transportation funding bill. And when it comes to making sure all Americans have access to transportation, it is ambitious.
- GROW AMERICA boosts funding for transit by 70 percent – including in rural areas.
- It will help communities repair subway elevators and bus lifts.
- It invests $1.4 billion over the next four years to make sure we can address accessibility issues on passenger rail.
- And I’ve made it a priority to focus on bike and pedestrian issues. So you can expect us to invest more in sidewalks and bike lanes. Especially because we know that, for people with disabilities, the hardest parts of the commute are those first and last miles closest to home.
But let me close by saying – none of this will happen if Congress does not agree. And right now they are not inclined to agree. More funding for transportation is a hard sell.
Which is why we need you.
Because the disability community has never had trouble making its voice heard – or telling truth to power. And now I need you to do it again.
Give your representatives a call. And if you can’t call, write. Or find some way to get a message to me, and I will give it to them.
Because we have to let Congress know that our infrastructure deficit can’t become an equality deficit.
We have to tell them that, when the elevator is broken on the DC metro, it doesn’t just mean everyone takes the stairs – it means some people don’t get to work.
We have to make sure everyone understands that investing in transportation is NOT just about what’s right. It’s about YOUR RIGHTS – the right to move anywhere and everywhere around this country.
So I want to thank you. Thank you for your courage… for your passion… and for your support.
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