Remarks at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan - Transcript

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Sept 25, 2000

But breaking down barriers is not enough. People actually have to have the tools they need to take advantage of this remarkable moment of opportunity--especially the tools they need in cyberspace. There are truly amazing new possibilities, as I saw today on my tour.

Through information technologies, a person with a disability, such as the great physicist Stephen Hawking, can continue to be one of the world's top astrophysicist and--and this is a big "and," because he suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease and is the longest living person, as far as we know, in history with that disease--and I'm convinced that one of the reasons he is alive today, with the fire in his eyes and the passion burning in his heart, is that he can not only continue to learn; he can continue to communicate what he knows and what he thinks to the rest of the world, thanks to technology.

Millions of other people with disabilities can also access and use the information superhighway if we build the necessary on ramps. For example, we're creating a national network of community technology centers so that all Americans, no matter where they live or what their incomes, have easy and affordable access to the Internet.

I visited America's newest community technology center this afternoon, right here in Flint, a partnership between the Department of Education, Mott Community College, and the nonprofit Disability Network, focusing on empowering people with disabilities to access the Internet and learn computer skills. I was amazed by a lot of what I saw: technology that translates web pages aloud for people who are blind or visually impaired; provides captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing people; enables people with significant physical disabilities to control a computer through eye movement and brain waves. This technology has unbelievable potential.

I have a friend in North Carolina, named Joe Martin, with Lou Gehrig's disease. Years ago, we worked together on education and the economy in the South. Joe Martin then was in great health. He was vigorous, energetic, charismatic, compelling, and effective. He's had Lou Gehrig's disease for some time now, and in spite of how great he was then, he is greater today in every way. Although he can't walk or talk or use his hands, his eyes provide a window on the world. With EyeGaze technology, he can look at a computer screen and type away just using his eyes. He E-mails people here in Flint. With another glance he can activate an electronic voice that reads his words aloud. This astounding technology has enabled him to keep his job as a banker, to talk with his wife and friends and, now, write an about-to-be-publisbed compelling book about his life.

Some of you may have heard of a young swimmer from South Africa, named Terence Parkin. Yesterday he won the silver medal in the mens' 200-meter breast stroke, one of the best athletes in the world. He also happens to be deaf, and he can't hear the starting buzzer that used to begin all swimming races. Instead, he can now watch for a personal, yellow starting light, which flashes at his starting block at the same time the buzzer goes off. By installing the simplest of technology, a little light bulb, officials gave this determined and gifted athlete his shot at glory. He took it. Now he can celebrate the flash of sunlight off his silver medal, and aren't you glad he got the chance to race?