Memo: Meeting Request with British MPs regarding Disability Rights Bill

Item

Other Media

c021_001_002_001_tr

Transcription (Scripto)

c021_001_002_001_tr

Extent (Dublin Core)

2 pages

File Name (Dublin Core)

c021_001_002_001

Title (Dublin Core)

Memo: Meeting Request with British MPs regarding Disability Rights Bill

Description (Dublin Core)

Alec Vachon writes to Senator Dole about British MPs (members of parliament) meeting with Dole to discuss disability rights in Britain and a bill that could pass in Parliament

Date (Dublin Core)

1994-07-15

Date Created (Dublin Core)

1994-07-15

Congress (Dublin Core)

103rd (1993-1995)

Topics (Dublin Core)

See all items with this valuePeople with disabilities

See all items with this valuePeople with disabilities--International cooperation

See all items with this valuePeople with disabilities--Great Britain

Policy Area (Curation)

Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Creator (Dublin Core)

Vachon, Alexander

Record Type (Dublin Core)

memorandum

Names (Dublin Core)

See all items with this valueRoss, Ernie, 1942-

See all items with this valueEagle, Angela

Rights (Dublin Core)

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

Language (Dublin Core)

eng

Collection Finding Aid (Dublin Core)

https://dolearchivecollections.ku.edu/?p=collections/findingaid&id=54&q=

Physical Location (Dublin Core)

Collection 021, Box 1, Folder 2

Institution (Dublin Core)

Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Archival Collection (Dublin Core)

Alec Vachon Papers, 1969-2006

Full Text (Extract Text)

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.