Harkin to tout disabilities bill at convention

DES MOINES - Tom Harkin's speech at the Democratic National Convention will come on the 26th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the signature legislation of Harkin's three decades in the U.S. Senate.

Harkin, who retired from the Senate in 2014, will speak Tuesday at the Democrats' convention in Philadelphia. Harkin said he was asked to speak that day to celebrate the legislation that created federal laws designed to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities.

Harkin said he will speak Tuesday at roughly 3 p.m. Iowa time at the convention, where Hillary Clinton will officially be named the Democrats' candidate for president.

'They wanted to commemorate that and to have me speak about the inclusion of people with disabilities in our society, and I think it fits in with Hillary's theme that we're stronger together,” Harkin said. 'And that's my message, is the way we got this one is we worked with Republicans and Democrats and the business community and the disability community, and out of it came a bill that changed the face of America.”

Harkin said he has spoken at four previous national conventions, starting with 1984 when he first was a candidate for the Senate. He also spoke in 1992, after he had briefly run for president, and in 2000 and 2008.

Harkin said in his retirement he has spent much of his time working with groups that help people with disabilities find employment.

Harkin said he has been given 4 minutes - 'Maybe they'll let me have five,” he joked - to talk about the Americans with Disabilities Act and his support for Clinton, who he endorsed during the Iowa caucuses.

'(The ADA) made life better for people with disabilities,” Harkin said. 'It broke down barriers. That's sort of my message, that this is the way we should do things. That's (Clinton's) message: working together, stronger together.”