MEMORANDUM 

Date: July 15, 1994 
To: Senator Dole
From: Alec Vachon
Re: Meeting Request/British MPs re Disability Rights Bill
(End of Letterhead)
	
As I wrote you last week (memo attached), 4 members of the British Parliament will be here next week on an ADA fact-finding trip. President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities has asked if you would meet with them on Thursday, July 21. 

I spoke today with John Russell, Economic aide at the British Embassy (just returned from bereavement leave in U.K.), who provided additional information. 
	
Should be a softball meeting: provide short history of disability rights law over the past 26 years, theory of disability rights. Also interested in such questions as: 
--Political strategy for getting a law passed. 
--How successful ADA has been in addressing employment problems? [Short answer: Too early to tell. Prior studies found accommodations double the chance someone with a disability getting or keeping a job.] 
--How much it has cost? [Accommodations are not expensive, lawsuits can be. But cost of not doing something --poverty for people with disability; high costs of SSDI and SSI.) 
--How has ADA been received? 

Currently, Britain has no disability rights law of any kind (even on building accessibility, etc.), so they are starting from scratch. ONE POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THEY APPLY A LAW TO THE U.K. GOVERNMENT FIRST, AS WE DID WITH SEC. 504 OF THE REHAB ACT, AND TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS, AS WITH SEC. 503. AFTER THEY ACQUIRE SOME EXPERIENCE, COULD BROADEN LAW TO COVER PRIVATE SECTOR --AS U.S. DID WITH ADA. 

Incidentally, the bill killed in May has turned into a messfor the Government. Minster for Disabled has been accused to lying to Parliament about his role in killing the bill; his daughter is head of a disability rights group and has called for his resignation. 
	
Yvonne indicates you have time available in your schedule. 

DO YOU WISH TO: 

DROP BY W/STAFF. 
STAFF MEET. 
OTHER.
 
MEMORANDUM 
Date: July 11, 1994 
To: Senator Dole
From: Alec Vachon
Re: Meeting Request/British MPs Re Disability Rights Bill 
(End of Letterhead)

The British Embassy asked the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities to set up meetings for 4 British MPs regarding strategy to get an ADA-type bill passed in Parliament. They are looking for your views on this subject. Currently, the only other member of Congress they are scheduled to meet with is Senator Harkin. 

Background: Major's Government killed a disability rights bill in early May that apparently enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Two press clips attached: a Financial Times article and an AP wire story about sharp criticism of the Government's action by Stephen Hawking, world famous physicist who is severely disabled from a muscle wasting disease. 

Who: All 4 MPs are members of Employment Select Committee in House of Commons. They are (detailed bios attached): 
Oliver Heald (Conservative) 
Iain Mills (Conservative) 
Ernest Ross (Labour) 
Angela Eagle (Labour) 

When: Thursday, July 21, anytime between 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. You are free during this time except for a drop-by at 2:00 p.m., and a "maybe" for short remarks at an NOD/Harris briefing on results of a survey of disabled Americans at 3:00 p.m. 
	
DO YOU WISH TO: 


MEET WITH THEM. 
DROP BY W/STAFF.
STAFF MEET. 
OTHER.