[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 163 (Saturday, December 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2599-E2600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        A TRIBUTE TO ALAN REICH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, December 17, 2005

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to reflect upon the public service 
of my friend, Alan Reich, who passed away on November 8, 2005.
  In 1962, Mr. Reich was 32 years old, a former athlete and Army 
officer. That year, a swimming accident left him a quadriplegic. 
Despite this life-changing event and the challenges that quadriplegia 
brings, he returned to

[[Page E2600]]

his job as an executive at Polaroid Corporation where he worked for 11 
years. Mr. Reich's return to work demonstrated to his colleagues, in 
the most basic way, that life with a disability can be productive and 
fulfilling. In the years following the accident, he went on to pursue 
his career goals and was appointed to the position of Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs at the State Department.
  It is important to note that Mr. Reich's accident and his recovery 
took place decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act. At that 
time, people like Alan Reich, who overcame personal obstacles to move 
forward with their lives, sent an important message to the world that 
people with disabilities have gifts and talents to contribute. This 
message was the foundation of the movement to pass the ADA in 1990, and 
declare for the first time that disabled Americans have a right to 
fully participate in all aspects of our society.
  Mr. Reich became involved in advocacy for people with disabilities, 
initially as a volunteer. He later went on to devote his professional 
life to the cause, serving as the President of the National Paraplegia 
Foundation--known today as the National Spinal Cord Injury 
Association--and founding the Paralysis Cure Research Foundation, the 
National Task Force on Disability and the National Organization on 
Disability. His vision and work lives on through these organizations, 
which he fostered and developed.
  I arrived in Washington, DC, in 2001, as the first quadriplegic 
Member of the House of Representatives. My own service in this body 
would not have been possible without the commitment of leaders in the 
disability community, who fought to pass the ADA. Alan Reich was one of 
those people and he was among the first leaders in the disability 
community here to greet me. I am tremendously grateful for his personal 
determination and his dedication to creating opportunity for others 
with disabilities. His work made this country a better place for future 
generations of individuals with and without disabilities to succeed and 
thrive. His passing leaves me with personal sorrow, yet as we reflect 
on the life of this extraordinary individual, I am inspired and honored 
to have called him a friend.
  I thank my colleagues for the opportunity to pay tribute to my 
friend, and I urge them to support H. Res. 592, a resolution 
celebrating the life, achievements and contributions of Alan Reich.

                          ____________________