[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 50 (Thursday, March 19, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING PAUL MARCHAND AND HIS WORK ON BEHALF OF AMERICANS WITH 
                              DISABILITIES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 19, 2026

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life 
and legacy of Paul Marchand. With World Down Syndrome Day approaching 
this Saturday, this seemed an appropriate time to honor a titan in the 
national disability rights and disability policy community whose work 
transformed the lives of millions of people with disabilities and their 
families.
  I have long admired him and his profound influence across the 
disability advocacy community--an arena in which I, too, have had the 
honor to work alongside countless families, advocates, and 
organizations. Over more than four decades, Paul Marchand helped shape 
the very foundation of modern federal disability policy.
  Before coming to Washington, Paul served as a special education 
teacher and as a leader in Rhode Island's developmental disability 
community--bringing a deep understanding of families, educators, and 
individuals on the ground to his national work.
  Paul joined The Arc of the United States' Public Policy Office in 
1973 and became its Director in 1975. At a time when the voices of 
people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were too often 
ignored, he fought to ensure that those voices were heard within the 
halls of Congress and across the federal government. He also helped 
found what became the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities, 
and he served as its Chair from 1975 through 2000. During his tenure, 
the coalition grew from fewer than a dozen organizations to a coalition 
of more than hundred disability organizations nationwide. The 
consummate consensus-builder, Paul united a diverse community around 
common goals of civil rights, inclusion, and opportunity.
  Paul was deeply involved in the passage of some of the most 
consequential pieces of disability-rights legislation in our Nation's 
history. That includes early victories in the movement, including the 
Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975, the Civil Rights of 
Institutionalized Persons Act in 1980, and Child Abuse Treatment 
Amendments of 1984. He played a leading role in securing the enactment 
of each of these laws.
  Crucially, he was a champion for the Americans with Disabilities Act, 
which I was proud to sponsor in the House alongside my friend Tony 
Coelho. That historic bill didn't just change the law; it changed 
hearts and minds across America. It changed how Americans perceive and 
treat the disability community. Paul helped make it happen. He did the 
same with the ADA Amendments Act in 2008. Additionally, he helped 
secure nine reauthorizations of the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act, helping expand early intervention services, preschool 
programs, family supports, and legal protections for children with 
disabilities and their families. He was equally influential in 
strengthening employment opportunities and protections through repeated 
reauthorizations of the Rehabilitation Act, including the creation of 
supported employment, and in embedding disability provisions into 
broader workforce and job training legislation.
  In addition to his legislative work, Paul served in leadership roles 
with the Center on Effective Government, SourceAmerica, and the 
American Association of People with Disabilities, and he was appointed 
by the Clinton Administration to the National Commission on Childhood 
Disability.
  Paul retired in 2011 believing that the disability movement stood on 
the threshold of full inclusion. His optimism was rooted not in 
rhetoric but in decades of hard-earned progress shaped by his 
integrity, perseverance, and unwavering belief in the worth of every 
person. While we continue to work toward that goal, we get closer to 
its fulfillment seemingly every day.
  Mr. Speaker, our Nation is more just, more accessible, and more 
compassionate because of Paul Marchand's life of service. I am honored 
to recognize his remarkable legacy and to extend the gratitude of this 
House to a man who devoted his career to expanding opportunity and 
protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities. I ask all my 
colleagues to join me in thanking him.

                          ____________________