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Former Sen. Tom Harkin leads DNC in sign language to honor ADA anniversary

By Eric DuVall
Former Sen. Tom Harkin, from Iowa, teaches delegates the word "America" in sign language on day two of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Tuesday is the 26th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI
Former Sen. Tom Harkin, from Iowa, teaches delegates the word "America" in sign language on day two of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Tuesday is the 26th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

PHILADELPHIA, July 26 (UPI) -- Honoring the 26th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the bill's Senate sponsor, Tom Harkin, led delegates at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday in a poignant moment of sign language.

Harkin, a retired senator from Iowa who helped push the ADA to passage, asked delegates to put their hands in front of them with fingers entwined, then circle them in front of their chest.

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"That is the sign for America. Think about it, that is a beautiful sign. Think about it. We're all together. No one is left out in this constant circle of life that is America," he said, his hands still linked.

"That is the America that we all want. Disabled and non disabled alike. It is the beautiful America that Hillary Clinton will fight for, [so] that every person is treated with dignity."

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