Below, from the White House...

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2010

Background on President Obama's Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
White House South Lawn

Today, the President will deliver remarks to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The President will also sign an Executive Order to increase Federal employment of individuals with disabilities. Invited guests include Cabinet officials, Members of Congress, grassroots leaders and Americans living with disabilities.

The event will include performances by Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Patti LaBelle and Marlee Matlin, and remarks by Marca Bristo, President of Access Living, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes. Robert David Hall will introduce the President.

The Executive Order fulfills a pledge by the President to have the federal government be a model employer of people with disabilities. The Executive Order establishes mechanisms such as mandatory training for hiring managers, requires preparing of strategic plans by agencies to be approved by OPM and OMB, requires OPM to develop model guidelines and assistance for hiring people with disabilities, reporting to the President about progress, and publicizing results on a website as a way to promote transparency.

The President will joined onstage at the signing by Administration officials.

STAGE PARTICIPANTS

Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services
Shaun Donovan, Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Christina Romer, Chair, Council of Economic Advisers
Karen Mills, Administrator, Small Business Administration
John Berry, Director, Office of Personnel Management
Tom Perrelli, Associate Attorney General, Department of Justice
Tom Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice
Seth Harris, Deputy Secretary, Department of Labor
John Porcari, Deputy Secretary, Department of Transportation
Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency

EXPECTED MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA
Representative Rush Holt, D-NJ
Representative Steny Hoyer, D-MD
Representative Patrick Kennedy, D-RI
Representative Dennis Kucinich, D-OH
Representative Ed Markey, D-MA
Representative Carolyn McCarthy, D-NY
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA
Representative Jerrold Nadler, D-NY
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC
Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, R-WI
Representative Jeff Sessions, R-TX
Representative Chris Van Hollen, D-MD
Representative David Wu, D-OR


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