Major Owens quotes

Major Owens was a remarkable American politician, representing New York in the US House of Representatives for 24 years. Serving with dedication and integrity, Owens championed social justice, education reform, and affordable healthcare. As a seasoned legislator, he played a pivotal role in crafting key legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Higher Education Act. Beyond his political achievements, Major Owens was an advocate for diversity and inclusivity, constantly striving to bridge gaps and build stronger communities. Explore the impactful legacy of Major Owens and his invaluable contributions to shaping a better America.

The whole community of people with disabilities was alive, politically alive. I give Justin Dart credit for that. He traveled to every state in the country. He really made people with disabilities understand that they had some political power.

- Major Owens

I do not think we are ever going to be able to, for a long time, get the kind of quality of school personnel that we need in our schools, especially in the areas of science and math. One of the answers to that problem is to use more educational technology.

- Major Owens

Competition is such a virtue, and everybody's so busy competing, they have no time for compassion.

- Major Owens

Education technology and school construction go together. Modernization, updating education facilities, and making a capital investment in education are all included.

- Major Owens

Our government just won't enforce civil rights laws. The laws will be ignored.

- Major Owens

In preparation for it, we need to have folks who are trained, we need facilities, equipment and supplies, that are going to be built into our society, and we are going to spend a lot of money on it.

- Major Owens

What is our greatest enemy? Segregation.

- Major Owens

We can close the gap and improve what happens in the classroom by using educational technology that is the same high quality everywhere.

- Major Owens

I think some combined pressure could go a long way, could establish the fact that this legislation did pass and we mean business by it. We mean to have it enforced, we mean to have it become effective.

- Major Owens

There's a whole set of values, spawned by the vocal and highly visible Republicans, that appeal to the worst in people. Our society is moving in that direction.

- Major Owens

Therefore, you are not training young people for the world of today and the world of tomorrow unless you are doing proven technology training. That is one of the reasons I'm so concerned.

- Major Owens

Those involved in the program are interested in how to use photography, videos, the Internet, film, and anything related to communications and transmission of information in the most up-to-date modern ways.

- Major Owens

We can not wait until we have enough trained people willing to work at a teacher's salary and under conditions imposed upon teachers in order to improve what happens in the classroom.

- Major Owens

People didn't always see a person with a disability who had to use a ramp or elevator as people who have been given unnecessary privileges. But I run into that often now. People are saying, 'Why do we have to go to great expense for these people?'

- Major Owens

I would like to spend my next two years showing how the aim of making technology available to every young person can be built into the effort to make our nation more secure. That is my latest concern and what I will be pushing over the next two years.

- Major Owens

It was the best route to get folks to understand segregation fast. Civil rights and women's rights had a clear history. Making the transition to rights for people with disabilities became easier because we had the history of the other two.

- Major Owens

People's lives have to change as a result of this legislation.

- Major Owens

Technology tools such as laptops are the kind of help that we need. A program that provides laptops for all youngsters would close a gap that most of us are not aware of, or will not admit to, which is a tremendous gap in the poor communities.

- Major Owens

Children are already accustomed to a world that moves faster and is more exciting than anything a teacher in front of a classroom can do.

- Major Owens

We need to get ready for a world where terrorism will not ever fully go away.

- Major Owens

You have no power at all if you do not exercise constant power.

- Major Owens

The kind of society which we still have is maybe, in some cases, getting worse. Competition is becoming a virtue. Intense competition drives people to go more and more into self-interest. Even to see other folks as competition.

- Major Owens

I have a great deal of respect and admiration for people who put themselves on the line.

- Major Owens

There's a kind of sick security some people get out of keeping away from people with disabilities. They are running away from any situation that's not totally pure and all-American and that requires them to do any thinking.

- Major Owens

I will continue my activities related to education in one way or another. I certainly would have at the top my agenda, with respect to education, the need to do much better with modern educational technology.

- Major Owens

The ownership of computers in the home is far less than the statistics show, because usually when the computer breaks down once, that is the end of it for a long, long time. They do not have the money or incentive to get the computer repaired.

- Major Owens

The problem was just a mean attitude that festers and has to be challenged.

- Major Owens