Remarks at a Meeting of the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped

Mr. Russell, ladies and gentlemen:

Emerson once said that courage consists in equality to the problem before us. Having met Jerry Walsh today, I have met an example of that kind of courage, and I have seen again where the greatness of this land rests. It rests not on our cities or our prairies, or our wealth; it rests on the unconquerable spirit of our people.

There are those in this country who are handicapped neither by accident or by birth, but by their own choice. Before tough problems they shrink in fear, and before adversity they lie in defeat.

The people you honor today--Jerry Walsh and the winners of the "Ability Counts" contest--do not fit into that category. They stand in the great tradition of my old, beloved friend Mel Maas, who before his death 2 weeks ago had taught us all that personal courage and individual fortitude can turn defeat into victory.

America has always needed that message, but never more than it needs it today. For our efforts to build a great society in this Nation are being opposed by those who suffer from a handicap not of the body or the mind, but of the soul.

They see America in terms of regions, or classes, or races, not in terms of a people committed to great ends. They see America in terms of static doctrine and staid programs, not in terms of earthshaking progress and revolution.

They see America as an era unto itself, not as the beginning of a new era for all mankind. Above all, they lack an understanding of what America has been, and so they suffer the worst handicap of us all--the handicap of too little faith in what our great land can be.

They oppose the assurance of full and equal rights to all of our citizens, thus frustrating the most basic urge in the hearts of men for whom emancipation is still a proclamation, but is not yet a fact. They ignore the old and they suspect the young. They dismiss the poor by answering, "No, no, we are not our brother's keeper." They spread discord and they breed distrust, tearing down instead of building up, dividing instead of uniting. And all the while, they are the Nation's worst handicap.

If only these men had known Mel Maas, and if only they could meet Jerry Walsh or Harold Russell, I am sure they would be ashamed by the timidity of their own faith.

You, Mr. Walsh, and you, Mr. Russell, have made us all stand taller, and prouder, and more courageous, and for that we can only offer our greatest thanks and our deepest gratitude. You have given new reason, and new resolve, for employers to step up this use of handicapped persons.

Today I am issuing instructions to the heads of every Federal executive department and agency in this Government to show the Nation what can be done to make fuller use of the ability of handicapped Americans. Twenty-four departments and agencies have already signed agreements with the Civil Service Commission to use special appointing authority to hire the handicapped.

I am asking agencies to hold special meetings to promote understanding and support for the entire program. I am asking agency coordinators to step up their visits to occupation training centers to see there for themselves how the retarded are trained.

We have made sound progress, and prospects for real progress are bright. We can make this extra effort without creating jobs especially for the handicapped, without impairing the merit system, without compromising the quality of the efficiency of our work force. In fact, I believe we will add to the efficiency of our Government.

I am convinced that it is morally right, that it is socially just, that it is economically sensible, that it is administratively feasible to open the door of employment opportunity to handicapped Americans.

An enlightened Government can, and will, and must lead the way.

I am proud to be here today. I am especially proud of what you are doing for yourselves, and what you are doing for your country.

I especially thank the beloved and most able Secretary of Labor, the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, and all others whose heart and soul and talents are contributing to this great effort, and most of all, I thank you for your hope and for yore faith.