ladies and gentlemen ladies and gentlemen please welcome transformed the thinking of members of congress about equality in our country for all of us it is a great honor to serve in the congress with congressman jim moran of rhode island from day today we are here to celebrate the success of bipartisanship and one of the reasons why the eighty eight passed by an overwhelming margin twenty years ago and when the supreme court didn't get it the amendments passed is a triple win it's a win for do siebel people because it opens the door to employment it opens the door to excess ability it opens the door to transportation it's a win for the employment community because there are over fifty million people whose talents are out there that can be applied productively to help make a company profitable they help governments serve the people better  and it's a win for the taxpayers because it is disabled people leave types of public assistance and get jobs and earn money and pay taxes the taxpayers are ahead of the game there are no losers when we open up the doors with disabilities now what i can say is that this congress and his predecessors have been criticized for being too partisan and that we are upon occasion but very often the american public get the wrong impression that all we do is fight amongst ourselves because compromise and accomplishment doesn't increase t v ratings and doesn't sell newspapers folks this is an accomplishment as an accomplishment over the last twenty years and it will be an accomplishment in the future with bipartisan support and it's accomplishment because everybody knows it's the right thing to do thank you and we repair to them all the great events of our country we have not realized them fully and therefore periodically we have addressed laws so that we would do so jim land has been referred to me as the author of the americans with disabilities act jim with all due respect that's not accurate i am not the author of the americans with disabilities act there were literally i'm sure hundreds of authors of the american disabilities act who worked over a decade to make  real promise to put in a language what others have done in the thirteenth and fourteenth and fifteenth amendments what others did in the amendment which recognize the ability of those of you who had a disability and that disability was you were women and we said in the early part of the last century that's ridiculous all men should have men and should have incorporated all men and women are created equal and endowed by their critics and we made women full partners in this democracy we're still working on that of course and we are still working on making individuals with disabilities but in one nine hundred sixty five we saw that we hadn't completed the job and that martin luther king's hope to be free free at last thank god almighty fate and through your courage you came forward and you said all the members we have something to contribute we are not disabled in fact we are able to what you seem a disability and of course with some of us you don't see that disability but i was starting to tell you about that little girl who lives in curie north carolina where i was yesterday as i leaf through that book and i'm from i wish for you gentle reminders to follow your heart this comment that you never allow what you can't do to interfere with what you can do that's what the disabilities act is all about thank you all for making  thank you this is quite an exciting week and especially an exciting day today as you know we have what we think is the best possible way to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the it's a liberation liberation for people the declaration of independence this is liberating for people when i was sworn in as speaker of the house as much to do about the first woman speaker of the house said in my remarks then this honored the heritage and hope of our country which is the quality for all today is another day that honors the heritage and hope of our country equality for all because in invited to remain in statuary hall to view floor proceedings closed captioning and interpretation will be available here any guests that wish to view the proceedings from the house gallery please gather by the science mark escort to house gallery located in the south leading to the house floor guests will be escorted as space allows thank you lord god creator of all and builder of a just society this is a house of pride and dignity because of its noble belief in free people by law by policy through the years interior freedom has been uncovered as obstacles to equal opportunity have been removed by celebrating the accomplishments of the past twenty years founded in the initiative of the disabilities act the lord god responsible government has continued to embrace the advents and development of your people lord here may each child of disadvantage and every victim of war and accident be given hope and grounding for personal aspirations to achieve  her full potential in your sight with the help of research engineering medicine and professional therapy may government uphold the nation's commitment to equal opportunity in the pursuit of happiness and every american rejoice and thank you almighty god for the next step and every step to be taken to afford  rhode island mr kennedy objection thank you very much mr speaker jim land mr speaker is with great pride and joy that i rise today to acknowledge the history that you are making by call it by your leadership and your inspiration and your education of the congress you have to help take us to a place that honors the tradition and the goals of our in a way that is almost magical extend to you the privilege that you deserved all along to be able to preside over the house and place that we're joined from our former colleagues in the house and now a senator senator harkin who is such a champion in passing the americans with disabilities act our former colleague tony coelho also a leader in that regard our colleagues who've worked so hard on that subject mr markey mr kennedy and a champion in our house on americans for disabilities that stand he hoyer our distinguished majority leader mr sensenbrenner has made this part of his legacy in the not so fast with the legacy more to come but we thank you for being the champion on civil rights that you are and i see now that we have been joined by or distinguished republican leader of the house mr b judge them or limit them for what they cannot and that we can more fully honor the pledge of allegiance that mr kennedy led us in just earlier one nation under god with liberty and this is about liberation democrats and republicans in congress signed by a republican president and i want to thank the members who are still in congress including majority leader hoyer and representative sensenbrenner as well as former majority technology is not a political issue it is a participation issue each of us should be able to participate in the world to the fullest extent possible and the latest communications and services and devices can enrich and ennoble how americans experience and enjoy their lives we're debating this bill today on twentieth anniversary of the americans with disabilities act which the first president george bush signed into law underscoring the non partisan nature of the twentieth anniversary is an opportunity to look back and to reflect on the progress which we have made coming out of the energy and commerce committee telecommunications subcommittee over the last two have been a whole series of legislative initiatives aimed at broadening the hearing people say that closed captioning is the single modern accessibility technology that has changed their lives the most and in one thousand nine hundred six we inserted language which internet so that they can get to the web from where ever they happen to be from the time of helen keller and through the americans with disabilities captioning for television and service providers to provide accessibility to the disabled under section two fifty five of the communications services and equipment must be accessible if the provision of accessibility over twenty one languages and works with all the applications built into the i pad a phenomenon apple also enables software developers to create applications for i pad that work with voiceover furthermore every i pad can display subtitles and close captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing when playing movies and podcasts that supported movies and podcasts with closed