Rep. Jim Langevin Marks ADA Anniversary by Presiding Over House

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act, Rep. Jim Langevin, who is paralyzed from the chest down, made history today by being the first wheelchair user to preside over the House:

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 [when he was a Boy Scout cadet working with police].

...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, whose spinal cord was severed by a bullet which ricocheted off a metal locker after being accidentally discharged from a gun thought to be unloaded, recalled during a brief address today "lying in the hospital after his accident, and taking inspiration from others who had overcome life-changing injuries."

"I hope some other young person...will see that they can succeed, too," he said.

The House was expected to pass (and may already have done so by now) H.R. 3101, the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which will:

* Restore and expand requirements for video description of television programs, in addition to requiring cable companies to make their program guides and selection menus accessible to people with vision loss

* Mandate mobile phone companies to make web browsers, text messaging, and e-mail on smart phones fully accessible

* Ensure people with vision loss have access to emergency broadcast information

* Provide $10 million in funding each year for assistive technology for deaf-blind individuals

Rock on.

More, always more, to be done, but teaspoons. o.oP!