Following are
excerpts from Congressman Jim Langevin's keynote address at the TechACCESS of
RI 10th anniversary celebration. Congressman Jim Langevin's Keynote Address
Following are
excerpts from Congressman Jim Langevin's keynote address at the TechACCESS of
RI 10th anniversary celebration.
"I am honored to join you as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of this great program and look at ways to expand and strengthen the work of the Assistive Technology projects, which have made a tremendous difference in the quality of life for 54 million Americans living with disabilities. The RI Assistive Technology Project in particular has done an outstanding job at providing information and improving access to assistive technologies for Rhode Islanders with disabilities. I look forward to our continued work together to develop new ways to support access to technology for all people with disabilities...
... Growing up in RI, it was always my dream to put on a blue uniform and chase down the bad guys. That hasn't worked out exactly as I had planned, but life seldom does. When I was sixteen, I was accidentally shot while working as a police cadet Explorer Scout. An officer, thinking the gun he was handling wasn't loaded, pulled the trigger to test it. It turned out there was a bullet in the chamber, and that bullet severed my spinal cord. I've been paralyzed ever since.
At first I was convinced that [the] gun and this chair had ruined my dreams. But I learned that a badge and a gun aren't the only ways to make a difference. You can also change the world with a ballot ... a pen ... a creative mind. And the fight is waged and won not just on our streets – but in voting booths and the halls of Congress. It took me a long time to realize this. And it didn't happen without a lot of hard work, lots of tough love, and the realization that no one was going to do it for me. My mother was the first one to teach me that lesson.
When I finally got out of the hospital, though I had been tutored during that time, I was months behind on my school work, and I had to keep up with the other kids because I was determined to graduate with my class. The only way I could type my papers was to weave a pen through my fingers and peck out the words, one letter at a time. As you can imagine, this wasn't the most efficient way to do it – I begged my mother to type them for me. But she was a busy woman with a career of her own and three other children, one of whom was an infant at the time, and she wanted me to become an independent adult. So I typed every single one of those papers myself, using one of those old IBM Selectric typewriters.
It took me a little longer, like a lot of things still do, but I learned that with the right support, patience, and hard work, I could overcome almost any obstacle. Over time, I understood what Hemingway meant when he said, "The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places."
Looking back, the lessons were clear: My parents gave me the wheelchair, but I had to push it. My school gave me the books, but I had to study them. God gave me courage, but I had to find it.
My work in government has flowed from this fundamental idea – personal empowerment. It's about giving people the tools they need to pave their own way. To me, that's the role of government: not to give people a hand out but a hand up. Everybody has to do their part, but the government should meet them halfway.
Think about it – that is what TechACCESS and assistive technology are doing. Giving people the tools and opening doors to allow people to pave their own way to success.
... My background and experience gives me a unique perspective on the value of ATAP programs. I am committed to sustaining this important funding to all 50 states in the reauthorization process. Many of you know that the original legislation included "sunset provisions" which would expire the funding the states receive for their programs. In 1988, lawmakers assumed that by the time projects ended, states would be finished developing systems of technological support for people with disabilities. Since that time, it has become obvious that the world of technology is continuously changing. Policy makers have learned over the last decade that responsible technology-related legislation must be enduring. Furthermore, I strongly believe that assistive technology must become integrated into existing laws so that the barriers related to technology can disappear.
Last year's election reform legislation, the Help America Vote Act, is an example of this kind of integration. I worked hard to ensure that this landmark legislation requires all polling places in America to be accessible to people with disabilities and to have one accessible voting machine that allows a disabled voter to cast a vote in a private and independent manner.
This year in Washington, among other significant legislation, we will address the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Workforce Investment Act. I will work in my role as a member of Congress and the co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus to make sure the tools are in place for people with disabilities to make informed choices about all aspects of their lives ...
... I want to leave you some of the lessons I've learned from my own experiences. First, you'll never succeed without a strong support system. I feel like my life is a testament to what a caring family and a strong community can do.
... TechACCESS ... is a part of the support system that is so critical to so many – the future of people with disabilities in many ways is correlated with the future of this program. Your work makes a difference, not only to people with disabilities, but for people in communities everywhere who benefit from their talents …
... Second, you've got to have patience and try to keep things in perspective. We all face challenges of one kind or another – some a little bigger than others, but all challenges nonetheless. I believe these experiences are things from which we can learn and grow and help benefit us in other aspects of our lives ...
... Third and maybe most important, you've got to have faith – an unyielding belief that it can be done, that you can do it no matter what obstacle gets in your way. As it's said in the Bible, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move." With that kind of faith, nothing will be impossible for you. Whether you find that faith in your church or synagogue or mosque, or in the people you love, just remember that none of us are alone and each of us has the power and strength to move mountains.
If there's one message I'd like to leave you with as you rise to the challenges ahead, it's that challenges – whether personal or political, local or global – shouldn't derail us, they should empower us. For me, that's meant finding a new way to fight the bad guys. I've learned that being knocked off your path is a sign that you're destined to cut a new one.
That might be frightening at first, but as I've found, it's also incredibly liberating. You just have to think bigger – you have to imagine new horizons. The first step in charting that new course, finding that new path is to dream and know you have the power to make it happen ...
... [TechACCESS], I applaud you for your efforts thus far. "
Congressman Jim Langevin serves
on the Board of Directors of TechACCESS of RI and has been a strong supporter
of the agency for many years.
TechACCESS of RI
Last Revised: May 18, 2003