[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 49 (Thursday, April 8, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S4019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING KAREN MAYRY

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I stand today to recognize an 
individual who is a dedicated advocate for the blind in this Nation, 
and especially in my home State of South Dakota.
  Karen was raised in Hibbing, MN. The second of five children, she 
learned at an early age to cope with people's afflictions. Her brother 
Robert was born with Down syndrome. It was from this early exposure 
that Karen gained some of the beliefs that would carry over in later 
life. At age 11, Karen, herself was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes--the 
disease that was to define the rest of her life.
  In 1965, Karen married her long-time love, Marshall. While living in 
Tacoma, WA, where Marshall was to finish out his military obligation, 
Karen found a job teaching in the Clover Park school system. In her 
first year on the job, she experienced her first hemorrhage in her 
right eye which resulted in complete vision loss in that eye. Because 
of her love of educating children, she remained on the job teaching 
despite experiencing a traumatic physical ailment.
  Marshall and Karen moved to Denver, CO after his military obligation 
was fulfilled. While in Denver, Karen lost still more of her vision and 
for all purposes became ``totally blind'' and underwent eye surgery 
with the hope of restoring some vision to her right eye. The surgery 
was deemed a cosmetic failure. It was also at this time, that doctors 
discovered that she was beginning to experience renal failure.
  In 1969, Karen and Marshall moved to Rapid City where she was hired 
on as a Juvenile Probation officer. She remained at the position for 6 
years until her renal failure had continued to progress so much that 
she was no longer able to continue her duties. Experiencing kidney 
failure soon after, her loving brother, David, offered one of his 
kidneys. After many months of complications delaying the surgery, the 
transplant was successful. Three weeks later, she left the hospital and 
her kidney functions have remained excellent for the past 27 years.
  Following the successful kidney treatment, she was approached by 
representatives of National Federation of the Blind to become a member. 
The philosophy of the NFB matched her own; one of independence and the 
abilities of blind persons, if given a chance. Soon after joining, she 
became active that same year and was elected state president, a quite 
remarkable accomplishment.
  Karen Mayry is the long-time president of the South Dakota Federation 
of the Blind. For many years, she has provided tireless advocacy for 
the blind residents of South Dakota and for the disabled population of 
the State. Under her presidency the State affiliate has grown to five 
local chapters. She has proposed and lobbied for and had legislation 
passed bettering the lives of blind South Dakotans. She has testified 
before the Senate, investigating transportation for the handicapped and 
has annually made trips to our Nation's Capital to lobby for issues of 
importance to the blind of the country.
  She is dedicated to advocating issues of importance, and she is 
committed to breaking down the structural and attitudinal barriers that 
impact the blind and disabled community in south Dakota. Her list of 
organizations is vast and her accomplishments and awards are countless.
  Despite various physical ailments in recent years, Karen refuses to 
be sidelined and continues her stalwart advocacy. Her vitality and 
energy is commendable and her advocacy and education over the years on 
issues affecting blind and disabled individuals have proven very 
successful. She works hard to educate and advocate for the Americans 
with Disabilities Act, helps promote the skills and talents of the 
blind and educates the business community about the importance of 
hiring individuals with disabilities.
  South Dakotans with disabilities have many fighters in their corner, 
and Karen Mayry is one of their most ardent advocates. Karen doesn't 
mince words with elected officials, I, for one, have appreciated her 
frankness and candor over the years. Her insight is valuable on 
important issues, not only on matters directly affecting blind 
residents, but also in issues vital to all South Dakotans, disabled and 
non-disabled alike.
  As residents in my State prepare for the annual South Dakota 
Federation of the Blind Convention in Sioux Falls, I take this 
opportunity to congratulate and commend Karen Mayry for her many years 
of outstanding advocacy work for the blind. I applaud her dedication 
and commitment, appreciate her advocacy, and wish her the best in her 
own individual battle to come. I look forward to continuing my work 
with Karen concerning issues of importance to the blind and disabled 
citizens of south Dakota. It is with great honor that I share her 
impressive accomplishments with my colleagues.

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