Biden, marking ADA anniversary, pledges support for COVID long haulers
President Biden on Monday pledged support for Americans experiencing chronic coronavirus symptoms as he celebrated the 31st anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The affliction, known as long COVID, can leave its victims with a mysterious array of drawn-out maladies, from breathing challenges to brain fog to sleeping difficulties. Research has suggested that 10% of COVID patients may experience long-term side effects, and the president said the condition can rise to the level of a disability.
“We’re bringing agencies together to make sure Americans with long COVID who have a disability have access to the rights and resources that are due under the disability law,” said Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris on a muggy Monday morning in the White House Rose Garden. “So they can live their lives in dignity and get the support they need as they continue to navigate these challenges.”
The Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance on Monday that outlined disability protections for Americans with long COVID — called long-haulers — under federal law. And the Department of Education prepared a separate document detailing schools’ obligations to students with long-term symptoms, according to the White House.
As a senator, Biden co-sponsored the ADA, which outlawed disability discrimination and preserved rights to various accommodations like ramps, accessible parking and testing modifications in school.
On Monday, Biden trumpeted the law as a victory of bipartisanship, a “bulwark against discrimination” and a lasting “triumph of American values.” As he battles a bitterly partisan Congress, the president pointedly noted that the legislation was brought by Democrats and signed by a Republican president, George H.W. Bush.
He painted the law as a product of “passion and compassion, not partisanship,” and he praised the imprint it left on the country.
“Many of us can still recall an America where a person with disabilities was denied service in restaurants and grocery stores,” Biden, 78, said. “Where a person using a wheelchair couldn’t ride in a train, or take a bus to work or to school. Where an employer could refuse to hire you because of a disability. An America that wasn’t built for all Americans.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) joined the gathering of disability activists and lawmakers as White House staff dished out chilled towels.
Though Biden and Harris agreed that the U.S. still has a long way to go when it comes to the enforcement of the civil rights law, they both rejoiced in the impact of July 26, 1990, the day that Bush’s signature sent the ADA into law.
“On that day, America became better, because we know an accessible America is a better America.” Harris said. “The ADA was a very important beginning. But there is still so much work to be done.”
