Remarks and a question-and-answer session at the Adult Learning Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey - Bill Clinton's speech, March 1, 1993 - Transcript

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, March 8, 1993

National and Community Service Program

Q. I'm a Rutgers College graduating senior in May. And I was wondering when you think that law you're trying to instate or whatever is going to come into effect. I'm worrying, like, when I graduate in May, whether I'm going to go pursue chiropractic college, or because I may not have the money for it, I may have to get a job or get in more debt to try to get into chiropractic school. And I think it's a good program that you're trying to instate, but how soon would it come that we would have a chance to excel?

The President. It's up to the Congress. We'll present the law, the bill, soon. And I'm hoping it will pass this year and become immediately effective.

|At this point, a participant explained how improving her education will enable her to pass the citizenship test. Another participant explained how happy she was to meet the President.~

The President. Anybody else want to say anything?

|At this point, a participant presented the President with a gift from the New Jersey Youth Corps.~

Q. It's my pleasure to have you here, not only because you're the President but because you're a President we all like. |Laughter~ And I just wanted to ask you one question. As a minority student in the United States I have experience of some kind of prejudice in the country, and how we have to struggle a little bit harder than everyone else. And I just wanted to tell you that all this that you're doing is great, especially for Hispanics, Latinos, blacks. We all recognize how you're trying to make it seem that this is not only a white country anymore but all a mixture of all different cultures. And one of the groups that I've seen that has not been seen and they are a minority group, and there has not been putting any attention toward the handicapped people. I think that I wanted to ask you are you thinking of doing anything for them, because I think that they're there, and we should put some kind of value to them and some kind importance. I'm very close to one family that they have experienced with their handicapped child many different problems. And one of the things was the Reagan administration; they always had been cutting down on those programs, especially for the handicapped. And they had to have been placed in different schools, which is not appropriate for handicapped people. And they have, you know, have many problems because it's not where they should be. Do you plan to do anything for them?

The President. Yes, I'm glad you brought that up. Let's talk about two or three things. Let me say, first of all, a lot of people with disabilities have problems that aren't easy to solve, as you know. But they also have enormous potential to contribute to this country. I can make the same argument for people with disabilities I made for all of you: that it is in our interest to see that everyone develops to the maximum of his or her capacity and serves to the maximum of his or her capacity.

Let me just mention two or three things: Number one, last year before I became President, the Congress passed and President Bush signed a bill called the Americans with Disabilities Act. It has not been fully implemented. One of the commitments I made in this campaign is to try to bring that law to life for Americans with disabilities. It provides all kinds of extra effort to make America accessible and to invest in the potential of people with disabilities.