Walking across the South Lawn of the White House arm-in-arm, President Joe Biden and actor and disability rights advocate Selma Blair on Monday celebrated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – with the president calling the latter “one of the most consequential civil rights laws in our nation's history.”
Blair, known for her roles in Hollywood hits like “Legally Blonde,” introduced Biden at Monday’s ceremony, declaring herself “a proud disabled woman.” She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and was accompanied on Monday by her service dog, an English Labrador named Scout.
“In my own disability advocacy, I have realized that these historic pieces of legislation were vital steps towards fairness, but the push towards equity continues,” Blair said. “Our laws and policies must reflect that our disabled lives are not of lesser value.”
Biden proudly pointed out one of his “firsts acts as a United States Senator” was co-sponsoring the Rehabilitation Act, joking that he doesn’t “look old enough” to have done so.
“For the first time in the nation’s history we declared into law what we knew to be true: that Americans with disabilities deserve dignity, respect, and an equal chance at the American dream,” he said.
The president noted that law “laid the groundwork for another landmark law," the American with Disabilities Act, which Biden noted was signed into law 33 years ago by then-President George H.W. Bush “on this spot on the South Lawn of the White House.”
“It marked progress that wasn't political, but personal, for millions of Disabled American Veterans and families,” he said, making a point to say the bill received bipartisan support.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prevents discrimination against disabled people on everything from employment to parking to voting.
Blair praised Judy Heumann, a renowned activist who played a role in the passage of the legislation celebrated on Monday, saying she “taught me my worth.”
Biden also hailed Huemann, who died in March at age 75, noting that, “History shows it’s often not the people in power, but the power of the people that move the country forward.”
The celebration marked the first Monday of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.