Press Releases: 2004 Releases

Statement from United Cerebral Palsy President and CEO Stephen Bennett on the 14th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (7/26/04)

Washington, D.C., July 26, 2004 — On this day in 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law to ensure that every American could live, work, and participate in our society free from discrimination.

Yet fourteen years later, people with disabilities face hostile judges and states more interested in fighting the law in court than enforcing it. Even now, Americans with disabilities continue to fight for the right to vote.

Scores of American citizens still can not exercise their constitutional right to vote because many polling places are inaccessible to people who use wheelchairs, voting machines are inaccessible to people who are blind or have limited use of their hands, and ballots are inaccessible to people with limited literacy skills.

This is why United Cerebral Palsy has launched DontBlockMyVote.org, a national campaign to advocate for equal access to the polls.

By logging on to DontBlockMyVote.org, activists can register to vote and send a free letter to their Members of Congress asking them to ensure equal access to the polls for all Americans.

The right to vote is fundamental to realizing the resilient hope of the Americans with Disabilities Act: that all Americans can live without limits, fully independent, and free from discrimination.

About United Cerebral Palsy

United Cerebral Palsy is one of the nation’s leading organizations serving and advocating for the more than 54 million Americans with disabilities. Most UCP consumers are people with disabilities other than cerebral palsy. Through its nationwide network, United Cerebral Palsy offers services to individuals, families and communities such as job training and placement, physical therapy, individual and family support, early intervention, social and recreation programs, community living, state and local referrals, and instruction on how to use technology to perform everyday tasks. For more information, call (800) 872-5827.

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