FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2005
Contact:  Joy Fox
(401) 732-9400 
 
Langevin remembers Alan Reich

 
(Warwick, R.I.) Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) today announced the passage of a resolution he sponsored remembering the life and achievements of Alan Reich, who passed away on November 8, 2005. Reich, a quadriplegic, was a loved and well-respected leader of the disability community.

“Alan was an accomplished person both before and after his accident at age 32, which left him paralyzed,” said Langevin, co-chair of the House Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus. “Despite his condition he worked tirelessly and courageously to ensure that people with disabilities were recognized for their talents and for their contributions to the community. He will always remain in my thoughts and prayers.”

The resolution recognizes many of Reich’s accomplishments, including:

  • His Army service from 1953 to 1957, as an infantry officer and Russian language interrogation officer in Germany
  • His work for the State and Commerce Departments
  • His service as President of the U.S. Council for the International Year of Disabled Persons in 1978
  • His establishment of the National Organization on Disability in 1982, an organization active on the local, state and national level seeking full and equal participation for people with disabilities
  • His leadership in adding the statue of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a wheelchair at the former President's Memorial in Washington D.C.
  • His service as the Chair of the Paralysis Cure Research Foundation and as President of the National Paraplegia Foundation

    • Reich was honored this past summer with the George H.W. Bush Medal, which was established to honor outstanding service under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. He is survived by his wife, Gay and their three children James, Jeffery and Elizabeth and 11 grandchildren.

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