TABLE OF CONTENTS
U.S. Society & ValuesElectronic Journal of the U.S. Information Agency, Vol. 4, No. 1, January 1999
Electronic Journal of the U.S. Information Agency, Vol. 4, No. 1, January 1999
THE 21ST CENTURY WORKPLACE: A RIGHTFUL PLACE FOR ALL
By Bill ClintonAs people with disabilities become more participatory in U.S. society, thanks to landmark legislation in the 1990s, President Clinton discusses the significant challenges that remain to be overcome, particularly with regard to employment opportunities.
THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)
From Access and Opportunities: A Guide to Disability AwarenessThis précis describes the landmark 1990 legislation that has expanded the horizons of those with physical, psychological and other disabilities, by enabling them to become active members of the mainstream of U.S. society.
THE DISABILITY RIGHTS MOVEMENT: A BRIEF HISTORY
From Access and Opportunities: A Guide to Disability AwarenessPeople with disabilities have witnessed dramatic changes in the manner in which U.S. society has dealt with their needs and desires, especially in the last three decades of this century. This overview discusses the dynamics that influenced and energized these changes.
MOVING PEOPLE FORWARD
A Conversation with Tony CoelhoAt the instigation of the Clinton Administration, government and the private sector are joining in a partnership regarding employment, notably to confront and shatter long-held attitudes in the business community regarding people with disabilities. In this discussion, the chairman of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities -- a former legislator and himself a person with a disability -- reflects upon how this evolution in thought is progressing.
A CHANGING LANDSCAPE IN EDUCATION AND BEYOND
A Dialogue with Judith HeumannAs Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Judith Heumann has, as her responsibility, special education, rehabilitation services, and disability and rehabilitation research. Heumann, who developed polio as an infant, is a veteran of the struggle for inclusion over the years, as a student and as an educator. In this discussion, she details her department's activities in these areas, and reflects upon international initiatives and upon her own personal history.
REVIEWING POSSIBILITIES
A Discussion with John D. KempIn any exploration of the field of disability rights, John D. Kemp's name invariably surfaces. An attorney and activist for more than a quarter-century on behalf of people with disabilities, he is personally familiar with their plight. He was born without arms below the elbows and legs below the knees, and wears prosthetics to maximize mobility. In this discussion, he provides insights into disability awareness today, particularly his efforts to expand sensitivity awareness, and his work as president and chief executive officer of Very Special Arts, an organization that promotes the creative power of people with disabilities.
THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: ON THE RIGHT TRACK?
By Paula N. RubinNearly five years after full implementation of the sweeping Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), is it working? Have the lives of people with disabilities improved? How has it changed their access, their work, their leisure time? And how have the businesses and other entities covered by the law been affected? In this "report card," the author, an attorney with nearly a decade's experience in the field of disability rights advocacy, analyzes what the ADA has achieved, and the challenges it still must confront.
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES: AN EVOLVING `IDEA'
By Leslie Seid MargolisThe author, an attorney concentrating on special education law, outlines the recent history of education legislation that has led to passage and implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA reflects how far U.S. society has moved in terms of its expectations for persons with disabilities, she maintains, as well as its recognition that special education is simply one piece of the nation's education system, not a separate system of its own, off to the side.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPANDS TO MEET GROWING NEEDS
By Beryl Lieff BenderlyIndividuals who formerly might have been consigned to limited opportunities, social segregation and even dependency are now turning to the many engineers, designers and entrepreneurs now creating and marketing technologies that help people with disabilities live more actively, independently, productively and enjoyably. In this article, the author, a veteran writer on health, science and education, delineates, with examples, the vital research that is proceeding in the field of assistive technology -- as science and basic ingenuity expand the horizons of millions.
GLOBE-TROTTING TV NEWSMAN JOHN HOCKENBERRY:
A `CRIP' WITH ATTITUDE
By Curt SchleierU.S. journalist John Hockenberry, a onetime overseas news correspondent who now is hosting his own cable network program, has traveled the world in his wheelchair. But if he's a paraplegic, or, as he calls himself, a "crip," he's not someone seeking sympathy. Rather, he deals with his adversity on his terms, and, in the process, indicates how his horizons -- and those of others with disabilities -- can be altered, physically and emotionally.
A mother of a deaf child describes the "much-needed relief" the ADA has brought. A corporate executive stresses the need to change images and stereotypes in order to enhance civil rights for people with disabilities. A local official outlines the means by which voting sites are being accommodated to meet the goals of the ADA. An artist and teacher with multiple sclerosis presents his point of view of the limitless possibilities in his world. These and other "voices" offer verbal images of a changing landscape and evolving outlooks.
