Despite the tremendously increased accessibility the Americans with Disabilities Act has brought for millions, Iowa’s recently-retired Sen. Tom Harkin says it has also failed many. “Economic self-sufficiency, that’s the bone in my throat. That’s the thing that we just haven’t really accomplished,” said Harkin to over 500 leaders in disability inclusion last night at the inaugural 2015 Ruderman Inclusion Summit, which ran Nov. 1-2 at Boston Seaport World Trade Center.

Harkin, best-known for shepherding the ADA into law 25 years ago and being its legislative guardian in the years since, was at the Summit to receive the Morton E. Ruderman Award for his lifelong dedication to disability rights. The award includes a $100,000 donation to the Harkin Institute of Public Policy at Citizen Engagement at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, to foster collaborative, high-quality, nonpartisan, multi-disciplinary public policy research around disability issues.

“I am very proud to accept the Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion because I am committed to making life more equitable for people with disabilities just as Morton was when he created the Ruderman Family Foundation,” said Harkin. “We must continue the fight for policies that promote equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities and their families.”