Rhode Island Rep. Jim Langevin, a quadriplegic, presides over House for first time
By Andrew Miga, APMonday, July 26, 2010
RI Rep. Langevin presides over House for 1st time
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jim Langevin, who is paralyzed from the chest down, presided over the House for the first time on Monday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Rhode Island Democrat, who in 2000 was the first quadriplegic elected to the House, used a newly installed mechanical lift system to gain access to the speaker’s podium in his motorized wheelchair.
Langevin, 46, has used a wheelchair since being paralyzed in a shooting accident as a teen. The Disabilities Act opened access to public places and to employment for people with physical and mental handicaps.
Langevin said his temporary turn wielding the gavel marks an important step for people with disabilities and he hopes it inspires others.
“What a powerful symbol of inclusion and opportunity for anyone who wants to serve in the United States Congress,” he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday. Congress has become increasingly accessible in the past decade for people with disabilities, he added.
Langevin was paralyzed as a 16-year-old Boy Scout cadet working with police in Warwick, R.I. He was in a locker room watching officers examine a gun they thought was unloaded, when the weapon accidentally fired. A bullet ricocheted off a metal locker and severed Langevin’s spinal cord.
The lawmaker recalled lying in a hospital bed after the shooting and wondering what his life would be like from then on.
“I know the inspiration I took from other people and how they overcame their challenges,” said Langevin, a leading advocate in Congress for people with disabilities.
Langevin was among a group of lawmakers who met with President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday. Obama later singled out Langevin for praise during a South Lawn event marking the law’s 20th anniversary. Obama said Langevin wanted to attend, but noted that he had to return to Capitol Hill to continue presiding over the House.
