HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Praises Inclusion at Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, spoke at an event marking the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and emphasized the societal value of disability inclusion.

"This is a great pleasure for me to be here on the anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act. My uncle Ted Kennedy was the primary author of the ADA," Kennedy said, adding that the issue is "a deep commitment for me personally." He framed disability inclusion as a matter of national dignity: "When we exclude people, it not only affects their dignity, but it affects the dignity of the entire society. We all have equal value no matter what our capacity, and all of us can make a contribution. If we deny that capacity to any of our citizens, we deny it to all of us."

Kennedy thanked attendees for their work on disability issues and concluded with a production note indicating the remarks were provided by the department. The recorded excerpt did not include references to specific policy proposals, votes, or announcements.

The remarks were identified in material produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and focused on commemoration and broad statements about inclusion rather than programmatic detail or agency action.