December 5, 1997

President William Clinton
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20505

Dear President Clinton:

Under your leadership more than 10 million Americans are
benefitting from an unprecedented expansion of the American
economy. I challenge you to extend the benefits of this
economic expansion to Americans with disabilities by 
accepting the challenge of assisting one million Americans
with disabilities to obtain employment over the next five
years.

Americans with disabilities are excluded from the opportunities
for employment arising from the emerging Information Economy.
According to the Census Department, the employment rate for
persons 21 to 64 years of age was 82.1% for people with no
disability, 76.9% for people with a non-severe disability and
26.1% for people with a severe disability.

The low rate of employment among people with severe disabilities
is the result of the systemic barriers to work facing us. Evidence
from recent studies and General Accounting Office (GAO) reports
cite the fear of losing health care, and its long term services,
prescription medications, and assistive technology benefits, as
the primary barrier to employment. In addition, financial disincentives
to work, lack of choice of service providers, the complexity of
work incentives, and the lack of employment opportunities all
conspire to prevent us from working.

We are now seeing Republicans plant their puppets in disability 
organizations for the purpose of destroying them.  Valerie Marino's 
purely political appointment by Connecticut Republican governor Rowland 
to direct the Connecticut's Commission on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired 
and the resulting problems within the agency is a CLASSIC example of the
republican efforts to diminish the quality of living amongst the Deaf and 
hard of hearing communities.  This agency is on the verge of being 
dismantled and a few of my friends living in Connecticut are moving out 
of the state to find employment.

I ask that you use your leadership in two ways to assist one
million Americans with disabilities over five years to work.

*One, accept this challenge by announcing it in your 1998
State of the Union Address.

*Two, direct the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration,
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor,
and the Secretary of Treasury to work with the Senate Finance 
Committee and the House Subcommittee on Social Security of Ways
and Means to enact legislation in early 1998 eliminating systemic
financial, health, employment training, and opportunity barriers
to employment for people with disabilities.

Your leadership in accepting this challenge will assist one million
Americans with disabilities to participate fully in the American dream
and to realize the promise of the accessible bridge to the 21st century.

I eagerly anticipate your response to my challenge.

Sincerely,



Richard Roehm