VOA常速英语:Supporting Disability Rights - 26 years(翻译)

On July 26th, twenty-six years ago, then President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law:
26年前的7月26日，时任美国总统的老布什将《美国残疾人法案》签署成为法律：

“This historic act is the world’s first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities … Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”
“这份历史性法案是全世界第一次为残疾人而制定的、全面的平等宣言，让这堵排斥的耻辱之墙最终倒塌吧！”

In tandem with other disability laws, the landmark legislation prohibits discrimination against disabled people across a range of areas of life, including in education, employment and housing.This means that the law requires educators and employers to provide what is called “reasonable accommodation” to assist disabled people to study and be employed on an equal basis with others.These accommodations can range from offering texts in Braille for a visually impaired student, to providing a higher or lower desk for a worker who uses a wheelchair. U.S. Special Advisor for International Disability Rights Judy Heumann says it is determined on a case-by-case basis:
这份标志性的法案和其他残疾人法共同起效，该法案禁止在一系列的生活领域里歧视残疾人，包括教育、就业和住房。这意味着法律要求教育者和雇主们提供所谓的“合理的便利”，从而帮助残疾人在与其他人平等的基础上学习、工作。这些“便利”的范围包括为视觉障碍的学生提供盲文文本，到为使用轮椅的劳动者提供更高或更低的办公桌。美国国际残疾人权利特别顾问朱迪·休曼表示，这一方案是建立在案例基础之上的：

“We know from data that the accommodation that most disabled individuals need is anywhere from nothing to very minimum.A smaller percentage of disabled people will need a higher cost of accommodations.But I think what’s very important that employers are realizing is that disabled individuals make good employees.”
“我们可以从数据得知，大多数残疾人都需要的‘便利’少得可怜，或者几乎就没有。很少比例的残疾人士会需要高成本的便利设施。但是，雇主们正在意识到一件非常重要的事情—残疾人也能成为好员工。”

The Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws also address aspects of accessible design in various buildings and public transportation.Such features enable persons with disabilities to have access to the same services everyone else does,and therefore better participate in community life.
《美国残疾人法案》及其他相关法律也涉及到了各种建筑和交通工具的残疾人使用设计问题。这些便利的设计可以让身有残疾的人像其他人一样获得这些服务，因此他们就能够更好地参与到社区生活中来。

Heumann, who is herself a wheelchair rider as a result of Polio, says she believes the law can serve as an example worldwide:
由于患有小儿麻痹症，休曼自己平时依靠轮椅行走，她认为这份法案可以给全世界做出一个榜样：

"I believe that governments have a responsibility for all of their citizens and that the issue of disability in many countries is highly stigmatized,because in some countries people believe that having a disability is a curse.What’s important is that governments play a leadership role, that governments work with the disability community and families to really embrace their responsibility to ensure that as their countries are making progress for their population overall,that disabled individuals are not excluded and are not relegated to second-class citizenship.”
“我认为政府对其所有公民负有责任，但是在许多国家残疾问题都是莫大的耻辱，因为许多国家的人们认为身患残疾是一种诅咒。重要的是政府要发挥领导作用；重要的是政府要与残疾人组织和残疾人家庭合作，从而真正承担责任、确保他们的国家为全体人民取得进步；重要的是残疾人不会被排除在外，不会被降到二等公民身份。”

The United States continues to work to support human rights for disabled persons worldwide.To learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act, go to www.ADA.gov.
美国继续努力支持全世界残疾人士的人权。要想了解更多《美国残疾人法案》的详情，请访问www.ADA.gov。