Honorable Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator, Illinois, Democrat
Senator Durbin was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996. He is the Senate Democratic whip and serves on the Appropriations and Foreign Relations Committees. The following is excerpted from a December 4, 2012, statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate during debate on ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It was 22 years ago when a historic event took place on the floor of this Senate that changed the United States of America. It was 22 years ago when we passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, and we said a disability…