Senator Tom Harkin (left), a principal author of the ADA, and Representative Steny Hoyer, lead House co-sponsor of the ADA (right), helped AAPD and more than 125 disability rights advocates honor Yoshiko Dart (center) with a 2005 Justice for All Award last year on the 15th anniversary of the ADA.
AAPD presented a Justice for All Award to Yoshiko Dart at its 2005 ADA Anniversary Celebration Event in Washington, DC. Upon accepting the award she said, "I humbly accept this special award from AAPD as a symbolic representative of all the patriots here today and those hundreds of thousands from sea to shining sea throughout America who have fought, continue to fight for justice and democracy. I accept it in the spirit of solidarity and unity; I accept it with great honor and responsibility. This award belongs equally to all the past patriots, famous and unknown."
Senator Tom Harkin, one of the first recipients of a Justice for All Award from AAPD (in 2001), made the award presentation to Yoshiko on AAPD's behalf, remarking “The authors of the ADA are the millions of Americans with disabilities who fought, have struggled and protested, who got arrested here in Washington, who never gave up and who had full participation, to make sure they had a civil rights act that covered them, too. That’s why I call it a quiet revolution. But this revolution will not be completed and the dream and the promise of the ADA will never be complete until we have personal assistance services for every person with a disability in this country who wants and needs it. We are here to celebrate 15 years and we should. We have come a long way. But let’s not rest until we complete the job!”
Those important sentiments were echoed by Rep. Steny Hoyer, a 2002 Justice for All Award recipient, who spoke from the podium at AAPD’s 2005 event. “In 15 years, we have not come all the way. And that is what I think of each year on the ADA’s anniversary. These anniversaries out to remind us of what needs to be done, until such time that we have full employment amongst people with disabilities. We want to talk about having the ability, not the disability.”
On July 26, 2006, the 16th anniversary of the passage of this landmark legislation, AAPD will hold its annual ADA Anniversary Celebration Event on Capitol Hill, again recognizing and honoring champions of disability rights with Justice for All Awards.
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Pelosi: 'Our Commitment to the ADA Must Never Waver'
Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2006 -
A Proclamation by the President of the United States
