[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 178 (Thursday, November 17, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1166]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF MS. CAROL SARGANIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2022

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Madam Speaker, today, I honor the life and memory of 
Ms. Carol Sarganis, a teacher, a role model for people with Muscular 
Dystrophy, and a champion for the inclusion of people with disabilities 
in the workplace.
  When she was diagnosed with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy as a young 
child, Carol's doctors told her parents that she would never accomplish 
anything in her life. However, her parents disagreed, and they instead 
encouraged her--and fought for her right--to receive a solid public-
school education.
  Carol was a successful student, and she defied the expectations of 
her counselors who thought she wouldn't be able to handle a rigorous 
academic environment. After graduating from East Providence High 
School, Carol attended Salve Regina University in Newport, RI to pursue 
her dreams of becoming a teacher.
  By the time she earned her Bachelor's Degree in elementary education, 
the progressive nature of the disease had made her almost entirely 
dependent on a manual wheelchair. This came long before the Americans 
with Disabilities Act was passed into law, so she had to rely on 
others, such as her brother or nursing students, to carry her up 
multiple flights of stairs just to attend class.
  In 1968, she graduated from Salve Regina and joined the Newport 
Public School System as a remedial reading specialist, where she taught 
until her retirement in 1996. Always seeking to redefine any limit, she 
went on to earn a Master's Degree from the University of Rhode Island 
while teaching fulltime. During her tenure as a teacher, she was 
recognized as Teacher of the Year. Eventually, Carol learned to drive 
using an adaptive vehicle to accommodate her disabilities. After 
retiring from teaching, Carol worked as an employment specialist and 
job coach with Project: Return to Work, a 501(c)(3) non-profit 
organization with the mission of providing employment services and 
placement opportunities for Americans with disabilities, including 
veterans.
  Carol was a role model, not just through her personal experience with 
overcoming barriers in the workplace, but through her relentlessly 
positive attitude. She believed life was a gift and refused to be 
defined by either her physical limitations or the biased perceptions of 
others. Instead of growing bitter about increasing limitations 
presented by the disease, she chose instead to be grateful for all of 
the blessings that she had. Near the end of her life, when she was 
almost entirely paralyzed, she was grateful for the staff of the 
nursing home who brought her outside to feel the sun on her face and 
helped her by writing cards she dictated for friends and loved ones. 
Always one to share her blessings, Carol would decorate the rooms of 
other residents with cards she had received to brighten up their living 
arrangements.
  On October 25, 2022, Carol passed away at Rhode Island Hospital. 
Carol left behind her brother George Sarganis and his wife Claire 
McWilliams, her beloved niece Zoe Sarganis of Central Falls, and her 
beloved cousins Elaine and Dick Bianco of Barrington, Rhode Island.

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