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REMARKS BY: DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES EVENT: The Interagency Disability Educational Awareness Showcase, Washington, D.C. DATE: Wednesday, October 13, 1999
Let me start by saying that I'm very proud that the Department of Health and Human Services is hosting the second annual IDEAS event. Supporting people with disabilities is extremely important to me. This is one of the great moral issues of our time.
But HHS is not fighting this battle alone. So I also want to thank all of the other federal departments and agencies who are participating in this conference, . . .and I want to acknowledge the tireless work of people throughout the disability community. You have pressed for change. You have held our feet to the fire. You are true heroes.
Victor Hugo once remarked, "There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world: that's an idea whose time has come." Hugo might have been talking about this idea - an exhibition that showcases what America's work place will need to become in the 21st Century.
IDEAS is based on that uniquely American notion that challenges can be transformed into opportunities. So just like the theme of this year's IDEAS conference - at HHS, we're "thinking: ability."
We're also putting that thinking to work - finding new ways to include Americans with disabilities in America's work life. I'll say more about that shortly.
But first I want to talk about the value of work. All of us know that work is essential to support ourselves and our loved ones. But work is more than a financial lifeline. It is a lifeline to dignity and self- expression.
Through work we find self-fulfillment - and reach our full potential. That's why Americans with disabilities do not want a handout. Rather, to the extent possible, they want an opportunity to go to work, get paid for an honest day's labor, and enjoy the same rewards and responsibilities as everyone else.
But as you know, enormous obstacles are often placed in the path of citizens with disabilities. Even at this time of record employment, a full two-thirds of working age Americans with disabilities are unemployed or underemployed.
To help remove these obstacles, the President created the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities. I'm a proud member of the Task Force - and so are many of my colleagues in the Cabinet. Our goal is to develop an aggressive national policy to bring adults with disabilities into the workforce.
The President has also declared October to be National Disability Employment Awareness Month. He understands that despite our prosperity too many Americans are missing out on their fair share of the American dream.
And that hurts all of us - because when people are held back, when dreams are deferred or ignored - America misses out too. Talent is lost. Ideas are squandered. Promise goes unfilled.
The fact is, we cannot afford to lose the skills, motivation, commitment and imagination of any worker. That's why we're working to make sure that all HHS facilities are fully accessible. But we have to do more than knock down tight corners and narrow doorways.
We have to knock down prejudice, ignorance and intolerance. Closed minds must be opened to new ways of thinking - and closed doors must be opened to new job opportunities.
HHS is leading by example. We're participating in the National Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities. Several students in this program who had summer internships are back with us as full time employees. But our responsibilities to people with disabilities extend far beyond the confines of HHS.
Under the leadership of Bob Williams, our Deputy Assistant Secretary for Disability, Aging and Long Term Care Policy, and Sue Swenson, Commissioner of the Administration for Developmental Disabilities, we're helping families get the information, support and services they need to help their family members with disabilities become more independent and enter the work world.
Through the National Health Interview Survey - we're researching and analyzing data on earnings, accommodations and barriers that people with disabilities find in the work place.
Similarly, at the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, we're researching ways to enhance the abilities of people with disabilities.
I want to be clear: Although we are very committed to giving people with disabilities the tools they need to go to work, we're not imposing solutions from the top. Instead, we're working closely with state councils on developmental disabilities to raise awareness within the business community, . . .to ensure the transition from school to work; to help people with severe disabilities to start their own businesses; and to support families. Just last month, we awarded $4 million dollars to 20 states and two territories to help families raise their children with disabilities at home.
But we can do more. That's why we're working as an interagency team - and why we're calling on Congress to do their part. We must have a strong Patients' Bill of Rights that will ensure continuity of care, access to specialists, and the right to hold HMOs accountable for their decisions. These rights are important to all Americans, but especially to Americans with disabilities.
Congress must also take action now on the Work Incentives Improvement Act. Thanks to many of you here - we are close to a vote. The legislation allows states to lift both the income limits - and the amount and kinds of assets employed individuals with disabilities can possess and still receive Medicaid coverage. Medicaid and Medicare should always be a path - not a barrier - to a better life.
Finally, Congress must get down to work on the President's budget. That budget will help people with disabilities cover the cost of transportation. It also doubles our investment in the technology that helps citizens with disabilities make their transition to work -- technology like that on display today.
I'm convinced that working together we can make every work place 100 percent accessible. So let the energy and innovation of all of today's exhibitors - and everyone here - inspire us to continue to find ways to include and accommodate people with disabilities. Not only in the federal government, but in every work place across our country.
That's the right thing to do. The smart thing to do. And the best thing to do to keep our nation and our economy strong. Thank you.