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

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

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 50 (Thursday, March 19, 2026) [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. ____________________