Deaf Mayor Neil McDevitt & President Biden celebrate ADA
On Monday, September 9, Mayor Neil McDevitt, who is the first Deaf person to be elected as a mayor in the U.S., gave remarks and introduced President Joe Biden at the White House to celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and to mark Disability Pride Month and Deaf Awareness Month.
[Video clip from YouTube/TheWhiteHouse showing President Biden and Mayor McDevitt walking from the southern side of the White House to a podium.]
Mayor McDevitt: Hello. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Neil McDevitt. I am from Wales, Pennsylvania. I’m Deaf. I was born in 1973. I was born very early and was a small baby. I became deaf because I received too much oxygen. I was adopted by two wonderful parents, Neil and Susan. They decided to chart their own path. They decided that the three of us would know sign language. Many parents today still have not learned ASL. The ADA made millions of Americans first-class citizens in our own communities.
President Biden: He was elected the first (Deaf) mayor. Wow. He is a proud alumni at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
[End video clip]
Alex: I’ll show you remarks in an interview with McDevitt.
Mayor McDevitt: The president was very warm and gracious. Very… we actually met once last year during a visit to Pennsylvania near my home area. We chatted briefly then. It was like there was no time that passed since then. Biden remembered me and said, “Hi, how are you?” Then I told President Biden that my wife is the same as his wife in that they are teachers. Biden and my wife ended up chatting with each other. It was a really nice moment. My wife and I also told President Biden “thank you” for his time and commitment to the Deaf and hard of hearing and disabled people during his time as president.
Alex: I saw you making remarks that you had a right when you woke up that you didn’t have the night before. People reacted to that and applauded.
[Video clip from YouTube/TheWhiteHouse]
Mayor McDevitt: “Like many of you, I woke up one morning with rights that I didn’t go to bed with. The ADA… (Applause). It was that momentous day on July 26, 1990 right here at the White House… (applause) … that those rights were signed into law. There is a direct line from that day to me standing here before you as the first Deaf person to be elected as mayor in the U.S. (Applause).
[End video clip, resume interview]
Mayor McDevitt: I think many people, younger people today, never knew of a world where it was “before and after.” They never experienced that. They’ve always grown up with the ADA. So they don’t realize how powerful that moment was. I was a teenager at that time! I didn’t realize how powerful it was at that time. But over time, I’ve realized that we owe a huge debt to those who fought for the ADA in 1990.
Alex: Thank you so much, Mayor McDevitt for your time. You can follow him on Facebook @Mayor Neil of North Wales.
White House Ceremony Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=cbNDDVxMgME
Mayor McDevitt’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MayorNeilNorthWales
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