Biden recalled the discrimination against the disabled that was permitted before the law in everything from employment to transportation and he praised the effort to bring dignity to those tens of millions of Americans in a law a Democratic Congress passed back in 1990 and Republican President George H.S. Bush enacted.
“Many of us can still recall an America where a person with disabilities was denied service in restaurants and grocery stores, or could be,” Biden said. “Where a person using a wheelchair couldn’t ride in a train or take a bus to work or to school. Where an employer could refuse to hire you because of a disability. An America that wasn’t built for all Americans.”
The president also addressed those suffering with long-term effects of COVID which can sometimes rise to a disability. He pledged that federal agencies will ensure “Long COVID” sufferers have ADA protections.
Biden stated, “I’m proud to announce a new effort, the first of its kind to help Americans grappling with long-term effects of COVID-19, that doctors call ‘Long COVID.’ Many Americans who seemingly recover from the virus still face lingering challenges, like breathing problems, brain fog, chronic pain and fatigue. These conditions can sometimes, can sometimes, rise to the level of a disability. So we’re bringing agencies together to make sure Americans with Long COVID, who have a disability, have access to the rights and resources that are due under the disability law, which includes accommodations and services in the workplace and school, and our health care system.”
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