Former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin is renowned for authoring the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law in 1990.
As he prepared to retire after serving 40 years in Congress, the senator founded The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement in 2013 to carry on his legacy and policy work primarily on issues of labor and employment, people with disabilities, retirement security and wellness and nutrition.
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Harkin Institute is headquartered at the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center on the Drake University campus in Des Moines. The two-story building was completed in late 2020, though a dedication was held off until August 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A year later, Harkin says he has yet to learn of another building in the nation that is more accessible for people with disabilities…
