Embassy Press Release

Welcoming Remarks by Ambassador Nicholas Taubman
Conference on "Creating Opportunities for People with Disabilities to be Fully Integrated in Society"

Monday, October 2, 10:00 a.m.
American Cultural Center Auditorium

I am pleased to welcome you to the American Cultural Center for our conference on "Creating Opportunities for People with Disabilities to be Fully Integrated in Society". Thank you for joining us here today to discuss this important topic.

I would also like to welcome our special guest, Jeff Rosen, who has just flown in from the United States to be with us here today. Let me also welcome Pamela O'Leary, who has come along with Mr. Rosen to help with interpretation.

Before I get started, let me say how pleased we are about the recent announcement of the decision to admit Romania into the EU. This is a wonderful moment in Romania's history, and I am pleased to be here to see Romania’s entry into the EU.

Together with Romania’s entry into NATO two years ago, your entry into the EU will mark Romania's full integration into Europe. Congratulations to our Romanian friends. You are certainly headed in the right direction.

We are here today to discuss integration of a different sort, but of course it is related to Romania's integration into Europe as well as into the ranks of democratic nations.

I’m referring of course to the full integration of people with disabilities into democratic societies. As modern democracies grow and develop, they must find ways to ensure that all citizens are able to participate fully.

In America, we have come a long way over the last century towards improving the integration of women, African-Americans, and other minorities into the economic and social life of our country. More remains to be done, of course, but we are committed to making progress.

More recently, we have come to realize better the importance of making that same effort for the people among us who are disabled. In 1990, the United States Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This landmark legislation prohibits discrimination in employment, in public places, including all hotels, restaurants, retail stores, places of recreation, transportation services, and in all activities of state and local governments because a person has a disability.

Complying with this legislation is often complicated and costly. It requires changes in design and construction, as well as special accommodations, for those with disabilities.

I am proud to say, however, that we have made significant progress in complying with this legislation. You can see this progress on almost every street corner and public building entrance in America, where special ramps have been built to facilitate access. Of course, much more remains to be done in this and other areas, but I am confident that we are moving forward and will continue to do so.

After all, democracy is based on principles of participation, equal access and fairness. If we want to build a just society, we must include everyone, no matter their sex, race, ethnic origin or physical handicap. A democratic society is an inclusive society, one where we seek to create opportunities for all our citizens to thrive and prosper.

Romania is also making progress, as the EU has recognized. Of course, much more remains to be done, but it is important that you are committed, as we are, to going in the right direction. We all need to continue to make improvements in our efforts to integrate the disabled into society.

It is also important that we continue to debate these issues in an open manner to find the best solutions, as you will be doing today.

Thank you for coming, and I wish you a successful conference.

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