White House/VA Conference
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"More than 90 percent of the nation’s bus fleet is ADA accessible, and 82 percent of our nation’s key rail stations are user-friendly for disabled passengers" — Norman Y. Mineta |
First, I want to acknowledge the leadership of Anthony Principi, not only at this conference, but especially in making certain that people with disabilities—often disabilities they acquired in the service of this great nation—can participate fully in American society. This is a very impressive group that you have assembled. I am very, very proud to be associated with all of you in this endeavor. It really shows the level of commitment by President Bush and across the administration in advancing the President’s New Freedom Initiative. The goals of the President’s initiatives are very near and dear to me personally. Fourteen years ago, as a member of Congress, I had the honor of developing the transportation portion of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It was the culmination of decades of efforts on the part of many of you in this room, and the results have been heartening. President George H.W. Bush signed that legislation into law, and with its passage, we have seen doors that were once closed begin to open, and a decade later, another President Bush has challenged us to go to the next level, to connect people with disabilities to services, jobs, and opportunities. At the core of the New Freedom Initiative is the President’s deep commitment to tearing down barriers so that every American has the opportunity to live a full and independent life. |
 The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary of Transportation Prior to joining President Bush’s administration as Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton, becoming the first Asian Pacific American to serve in the cabinet. He is the first Secretary of Transportation to have previously served in a cabinet position. Before joining the Commerce Department, he was a vice president at Lockheed Martin Corporation. From 1975 to 1995, he served as a member of U.S. House of Representatives, representing the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. Mineta and his family were among the 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry forced from their homes and into internment camps during World War II. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, Mineta joined the Army in 1953 and served as an intelligence officer in Japan and Korea. He joined his father in the Mineta Insurance Agency before entering politics in San Jose, serving as a member of the City Council from 1967 to 1971 and as mayor from 1971 to 1974, becoming the first Asian Pacific American mayor of a major U.S. city. |
Top leaders across the Bush administration are working hand in hand toward that goal. At the United States Department of Transportation, we are responsible for a critical link in the chain, because before you can enter an open door, you have to be able to get to that door. Virtually every day at the Department of Transportation, we are working to make our national transportation system more accessible. And while we still have a long road ahead of us, our progress is significant. Today, more than 90 percent of the nation’s bus fleet is ADA accessible, and 82 percent of our nation’s key rail stations are user-friendly for disabled passengers. In aviation, we have reached settlements with a number of air carriers that were not providing the required in-cabin space for stowing a folding wheelchair, were not supplying appropriate assistance to wheelchair users, or were refusing to provide transportation to disabled individuals. As all of you are very well aware, last February President Bush issued an executive order directing federal agencies that fund transportation services as part of their human services programs to coordinate their efforts. Some 62 federal programs offer transportation services to connect people with programs like job training, health care, and education. But often they present a confusing, inefficient maze to the very people who need them. Requirements are different, and scheduling is not coordinated. We are changing that. Last month, I had the privilege of convening the first meeting of the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility. This senior level cabinet group is overseeing President Bush’s executive order. We are working across the government to apply some common sense and to coordinate our services so that more people will be able to get around more easily. Now, many of you may be familiar with the United We Ride program, our national initiative that supports the President’s executive order. The vision is one-stop shopping, where a customer can call a single number for a ride, regardless of where they are going or which agency will provide the funding. Technology is key to achieving that success. It is a tool for helping agencies to coordinate, for improving scheduling, reservation, and dispatch services, and for helping those individuals who need a ride to know what their transportation options are and how to find the ride that they need. We see examples across the country of transit systems putting technology to work to better serve the disabled community. Systems in Corpus Christi, Texas, use technology and software that electronically records, logs, and routes a customer’s trip request. This automated system communicates with computers onboard the vehicles to determine the best pickup point and drop-off time, based on the rider’s request. As a result, the wait times are down and the costs are also lowered. Other transit systems are providing on-vehicle audio annunciation, accessible traveler information, and flexible routing to make it easier for passengers with disabilities to use conventional transit services. Now, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many, many more ways exist for technology to remove barriers that once limited mobility for people with disabilities. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), such as Palm Pilots, are being programmed to be personal global positioning systems. These systems can identify stops, bus numbers, and specific route information. Researchers in the rehabilitative community are developing PDAs with preloaded pictures of the environment and directions so that people with cognitive disabilities can “see” their route and get reminders when they need them. Audible pedestrian signals and talking bus stops can allow those with visual impairments to travel more safely, and to be able to travel independently. Pedestrian detectors can adjust signal timing at traffic lights to accommodate slower-moving pedestrians, such as the elderly and people with mobility impairments. Our National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), within the Department of Transportation, is researching adaptive devices for people with disabilities so that they will be able to provide better and safer control over automobiles. Today, some one million to 2.3 million American households own at least one vehicle that has been modified to accommodate a driver or a passenger with a disability. Technologies on the horizon promise even greater freedom of the road for those with disabilities. I envision enormous applications from our Intelligent Transportation System in aiding research into crash avoidance systems. Perhaps it is an outgrowth of my background in California’s Silicon Valley. I am a believer when it comes to technology. I see technology rewriting our assumptions about how people with disabilities will travel. Let me close by expressing my deep appreciation for all of you taking time from your own busy schedules to devote two days to this conference, and to Anthony Principi, to the White House, to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, for their leadership so that all of us can focus on how these emerging technologies will be able to bring new freedom to Americans with disabilities. Together, we will continue to break down barriers so that people with disabilities have the mobility to enjoy all of the rich opportunities that this great nation has to offer. May God bless each and every one of you, and may God continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. |
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