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On February 1, 2001, fewer than two weeks after his administration began, President George W. Bush announced the New Freedom Initiative. The New Freedom Initiative is a comprehensive strategy for the full integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of American life.
In 2001, more than a decade after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the unemployment rate for people with severe disabilities remained unacceptably high as high as seventy percent according to some estimates. Too many people with disabilities who could be living in the community with family and friends were still in institutions. People with disabilities had less access to transportation and education than the population at large. And technology, which holds such tremendous promise for people with disabilities, was still inaccessible to many of them.
While recognizing the critical role that the ADA has played in removing barriers both architectural and attitudinal faced by this Nations 54 million people with disabilities, the New Freedom Initiative recognizes that more work needs to be done. For example, while the ADA makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against qualified applicants and employees because of disability, reliable transportation, a quality education, and access to technology are equally important to reducing the unemployment rate of people with disabilities. The Supreme Courts landmark decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999), stated that people with disabilities should be provided services in the community rather than in institutions, whenever appropriate. Olmstead was an important step toward achieving the promise of full integration of people with disabilities into the community. But this promise can only be realized if biases in our Medicaid system that favor institutional treatment change and only if safe and affordable housing options are available.
Much progress toward breaking down the barriers that still confront individuals with disabilities has been made since the announcement of the New Freedom Initiative. This Report summarizes significant activities that have occurred since publication of the first New Freedom Initiative Progress Report in May 2002.
Some of this progress builds on efforts undertaken during the first year of the New Freedom Initiative. For example, on March 21, 2002, nine agencies released a report entitled Delivering on the Promise in response to Executive Order 13217, which called for swift implementation of the Olmstead decision. Progress is being made on implementing many of the reports more than 400 solutions to remove barriers to full integration that exist in Federal programs affecting people with disabilities. Presidential commissions established by Executive Orders the Commission on Excellence in Special Education and the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health have now completed their work and have issued reports and recommendations that will inform future policy development.
The President has secured $120 million since the beginning of his administration to promote research and development of assistive and universally designed technology and to put technology into the hands of more people with disabilities. Promoting full implementation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires the accessibility of electronic and information technology purchased, maintained, and used by the Federal government, also remains a priority for the President.
President Bush has continued to follow through on his promise to provide more funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Since Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, the President has secured more than $3.7 billion in additional annual funding for the IDEA Part B State Grants program. He has proposed a further increase of $1 billion in FY 2005.
Since 2001, the Social Security Administration has been answering the Presidents call for implementation of the Ticket to