Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Presidential Documents 40761 

Proclamation 10236 of July 26, 2021 

Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, 2021 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Thirty-one years ago, on July 26, 1990, our Nation moved closer to the 

fulfillment of its foundational promise when we passed the Americans with 

Disabilities Act (ADA). This landmark law affirms and protects the fundamental rights of people with disabilities—the right to equal opportunity, 

economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and equitable participation 

in every aspect of American life. For more than three decades, the ADA 

has made our communities, our economy, and our country stronger and 

more vibrant. It has helped to uphold the dignity of the estimated 61 

million Americans who live with a disability—in short, it is a triumph 

of American civil rights. 

I was enormously proud to co-sponsor the ADA, the passage of which 

was a testament not only to fearless advocacy, but to bipartisan progress. 

A Democratic bill signed by a Republican President, the ADA was made 

possible thanks in no small part to the passion and persistence of Senators 

Tom Harkin and Ted Kennedy and Congressmen Major Owens and Tony 

Coelho. I will never forget the moment just after the ADA’s passage, when 

Senator Harkin delivered a speech in American Sign Language from the 

Senate floor—a tribute to his older brother, Frank, who was deaf. That 

moment was an emotional reminder for all of us of just how personal 

and powerful the passage of the ADA would be for millions of American 

families. 

Despite the extraordinary progress we have made over the past 31 years, 

the fight for equitable access and inclusion is far from over. The COVID– 

19 pandemic has compounded the longstanding inequities and biases that 

exist for people with disabilities; persistent discrimination and the inability 

to access services continues to threaten the health and well-being of far 

too many Americans. Throughout the pandemic, people with disabilities 

have faced heightened risks—particularly those who lack access to caregiver 

or support services, those who live in community homes, and the disproportionate share of people with disabilities employed in industries that suffered 

due to the pandemic. Children and students living with disabilities have 

also faced an especially challenging year, forced to navigate and adapt 

to online learning as the virus upended their usual school routines. 

As we work to finish the job of defeating COVID–19, my Administration 

is committed to building on the legacy of the ADA. The American Rescue 

Plan is providing funding to expand access to home- and community-based 

services under Medicaid, which will allow more people with disabilities 

to live safely and independently in their homes. My Build Back Better 

agenda would build on this by making significant investments in homeand community-based services for people with disabilities and older Americans. It will also spur the creation of quality jobs with good pay, good 

benefits, and the ability to organize and collectively bargain for caregivers. 

My Administration is also committed to advancing the rights of people 

with disabilities in the workplace to support economic self-sufficiency. I 

have proposed eliminating outdated provisions in the Fair Labor Standards 

Act that allow employers to pay workers with disabilities less than the 


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40762 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Presidential Documents 

minimum wage. My proposal includes funding this transition with $2 billion 

to expand access to competitive, integrated employment opportunities for 

workers with disabilities. In addition, I am committed to making the Federal 

Government a model employer—including for people with disabilities— 

to set the gold standard for how best to support inclusion and provide 

appropriate accommodations. To that end, I recently signed an Executive 

Order to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the Federal 

Workforce—a pledge to lead by example to promote economic stability and 

good paying jobs for Americans with disabilities. 

Before I became President, I promised that every policy my Administration 

pursued—from rebuilding our middle class, to fighting climate change, to 

achieving universal health coverage—would be created with the full inclusion 

and dignity of Americans with disabilities in mind. I am proud to say 

that since my first day in office, my Administration has delivered on that 

promise. As we celebrate the monumental legacy of the ADA, we recommit 

ourselves today to upholding and strengthening its protections—and continuing to advance equity, dignity, access, and inclusion together with the 

disability community as we build our Nation back better. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 26, 2021, the 

Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I encourage Americans 

across our Nation to celebrate the 31st year of this civil rights law and 

the many contributions of individuals with disabilities. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth 

day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of 

the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 

forty-sixth. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16303 

Filed 7–28–21; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3295–F1–P 


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