situation of the disabled and the opportunities available to them. In addition, the Decade seeks to promote over its ten-year period the full participation in society of the half-billion persons--ten percent of the world's total population--who are physically or mentally disabled. The U.N. declaration calls upon member governments, international organizations, private enterprise, and individuals everywhere to work toward increased participation of disabled persons in national, business, and community life. During the Decade, U.N. sponsored activities will address primary health care, disability prevention, rehabilitation and training, counseling, and special technical aid development to help disabled persons participate more fully in society. Private enterprise, labor and other groups will also be actively involved, working with U.N. and national agencies and using these agencies as models for their own programs. The specialized U.N. agencies will be involved deeply in identifying activity areas and program objectives, and in carrying out particular program operations. Each member country also is asked to formulate its own objectives and programs, bearing in mind that the best programs are those sensitive to the particular needs of the society and its own stage of development. The problem of disability is indeed global, but most of the solutions must be specific and tailored to fit regional and local situations. It is thus important for the United States to renew its own national commitment and leadership in increasing opportunities for disabled persons through Congressional affirmation of the Decade of Disabled Persons. This country has been the world's leader in broadening opportunities for the 35 million disabled Americans. But a great deal remains to be done. The Congress' active involvement in proclaiming 1981 the International Year of Disabled Persons and 1982 the National Year of Disabled Persons were important actions, and I was proud to sponsor both these initiatives and During the National and International Years many local, see them become law. regional, and national initiatives were begun as a direct result of Congressional action. Congressional affirmation of the Decade of Disabled Persons is needed to ensure the continuance of these private sector and local governmental initiatives and to assure further progress for disabled Americans. The past decade has been one of great beginnings. During the 1970's Transportation America began to see physical barriers come down. Ramps and curb cuts are more common sights in major cities and even smaller towns. systems adapted for persons with disabilities are providing increased mobility and independence. Education and employment opportunities are. expanding for both the physically and mentally handicapped. Medical and technological breakthroughs are improving the human condition. Technology especially can be used to aid disabled persons. A recent national news program highlighted the groundbreaking research being done with computers in helping partially paralyzed individuals regain the ability to move once immobile limbs. With further work, this research may one day enable some persons confined now to wheelchairs walk again. As a senior Member of the Science and Technology Committee I am deeply interested in technological applications to the problems confronting disabled persons. The Greater Kansas City, Kansas area, which I have the privilege of representing in Congress, has made great progress in the last decade in issues of concern to disabled persons through the Whole Person Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The Center serves physically disabled persons living in the area. It's purpose is two-fold--to assist disabled persons in developing and maintaining independent lifestyles, and to encourage greater accesibility in the community so disabled persons can become active participants. Many restaurants, hotels, and public facilities have been designed in consideration of the disabled. Efforts have been made to have government buildings more accessible. The area has a paratransit service to transport disabled people to the doctor, to work, and to run errands. The State of Kansas has recently implemented a personal care assistance program for people who are eligible for Medicaid to assist with the cost of in-home care. Many persons faced with institutional care or dependence on family can now lead fairly independent lifestyles. So progress has been made, but the last decade is a beginning that is by no means complete. Private businesses can be encouraged to train and employ disabled persons, many of whom are capable and eager to work. Communities and local governments need further encouragement to increase the access disabled persons deserve. Congress can help encourage others to do their part to help bring down the remaining barriers to full participation by disabled persons in our society. I am confident that this hearing will give encouragement to those of us involved and committed to helping the disabled participate more fully in society, and will serve to increase the awareness of the condition of those disabled persons who are friends and neighbors of us all. As a nation committed to human rights, to the dignity of all persons, to equality of opportunity, especially in the areas over which our citizens have no control, we as a nation should not fail to set the example that we have traditionally set and to take the lead as we always have, symbolized in this case by our full participation in and observance of the U.N. Decade of Disabled Persons. I strong urge my colleagues support for H.Con.Res. 39. Mr. YATRON. Congressman Winn, I want to commend you for your very eloquent testimony and also for spearheading this initiative. I know that I speak for many of our colleagues on the subcommittee as well as other Members in the Congress. We are looking forward to working with you on this important resolution in the hopes of getting it to the House floor as soon as possible. Mr. WINN. I thank the Chairman. Mr. YATRON. Thank you very much for being here today to give us your testimony. I would like to call on Mr. Leach. Mr. LEACH. I would just like to reiterate my appreciation for the leadership you have given on this issue, Larry. We welcome your comments. Mr. WINN. Thank you very much. Mr. YATRON. Would you like to join us here on the podium? Mr. YATRON. Our next witnesses are from the executive branch. We are pleased to welcome to the subcommittee: Ambassador John McDonald of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, from the Department of State; Dr. Jean Elder, Commissioner of Administration on Developmental Disabilities at the Department of Health and Human Services; and Mr. George Conn, Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services of the Department of Education. We would like each of you to present your testimony and then to answer questions as a panel. Ambassador McDonald, I understand you have been involved for some time in the efforts that led first to the proclamation of a U.N. Year of the Disabled and now to a decade of disabled persons. We are pleased to have you here. Ambassador McDonald, would you like to begin? STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN MCDONALD, COCHAIRMAN OF THE FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF DISABLED PERSONS, BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF STATE Ambassador MCDONALD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is a great pleasure for me to appear before you and members of your subcommittee today. I am particularly pleased that you have taken this initiative with regard to the U.N. Decade of Disabled Persons. In July 1980, I was appointed by the Secretary of State to be one of three cochairmen for the newly formed Federal Interagency Committee for the U.N. International Year of Disabled Persons, 1981. The other cochairmen were from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education. Since that time, as you have indicated, I have been actively involved at the national and the international level through the United Nations in the concerns of disabled persons around the world. Since House Concurrent Resolution 39 and this hearing both relate to the matter of the implementation of the objectives of the U.N. Decade of Disabled Persons, and you will be hearing reference to the decade all afternoon, I thought that my contribution today might be to describe to you how this whole decade idea came about in the first place. How did it happen that 157 nations of the United Nations agreed unanimously on December 3 of last year to proclaim 1983 through 1992 as the U.N. Decade of Disabled Persons? Well, the idea of the decade first came about during the course of a conference in October 1981, which was not that long ago. This was organized by the United Nations during IYDP, and it was called the world symposium of experts, not government representatives, but experts on technical cooperation among developing countries and technical assistance and disability prevention and rehabilitation. Fifty-one experts and some 126 observers from all over the world met in Vienna, Austria, for 2 weeks, and agreed upon a number of very practical ideas for the disabled. The report of that symposium is now known as the "Vienna Affirmative Action Plan." It contained the decade idea for the first time. This was referred to the fourth and final meeting of the U.N. Intergovernmental Advisory Committee on IYDP which was scheduled to hold its final meeting in Vienna in July 1982. It was felt that this expert group, not having the authority to speak for governments, should pass its idea of a decade on to this 23-nation intergovernmental body. The 1982 meeting had as its principal assignment the finalization of 3 years of work dealing with what is called a draft world program of action concerning disabled persons. This 38-page, 201-paragraph document had as its objective the IYDP slogan, "Full participation and equality." It focused recommendations on prevention of disability, rehabilitation, education, and full integration of the disabled in society. It was really designed for the future, but it was felt by some that it lacked a framework for action. At this July 1982 meeting, some delegations, mostly from the developing world, liked the decade idea, and said it could provide the appropriate framework for implementation of this world program of action. Other delegations, primarily from the developed world, either flatly opposed the idea of a decade or expressed serious doubts about it. They argued that the United Nations had already organized several decades which had not had much impact and could siphon off resources that could better be used to implement the world program itself. The U.S. delegation, headed by Mr. Harold O'Flaherty, proposed instead of a decade the idea of two 5-year evaluations over the 10year period in order to have a look at the governmental level on the program of action itself. This document, this review was to be prepared by the U.N. Secretariat. After some discussion, this U.S. proposal was actually adopted and is contained in paragraph 201 of the World Program of Action. After some 2 days of debate on whether there should be a decade or not, this committee finally decided that no agreement could be reached. So, on July 12, 1982, the advisory committee decided that, "Although no consensus had been reached on the issue, there was a majority in favor of proclaiming the decade 1983 to 1992 as the U.N. Decade of Disabled Persons.' They forwarded this report and documentation to the U.N. General Assembly that began its meetings last September. The U.N.'s |