MEMORANDUM Date: September 9, 1994 To: Senator Dole From: Alec Vachon Re: Honorary Committee Invitations (End of Letterhead) 1. 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta You have been asked to join the National Advisory Committee of the 1996 Paralympic Games (invitation attached, together with a brochure about the Games) --the Summer Olympics for people with disabilities --which will be held following the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The Games are the most prestigious sports event for people with disabilities, and this will be the first time the Games have been held in the U.S. As you may recall, Kevin Saunders won Bronze Medals at the Paralympic Games in Seoul in 1988 and in Barcelona in 1992. In addition, the Federal government routinely provides logistical support to international sports events, including the Olympics itself. Members of the Georgia delegation are working to see that comparable support is provided the Paralympic Games --both Coverdell and Gingrich are strong supporters of the Paralympic Games --and with your permission I will assist these offices and the Washington Office of the Paralympic Games as appropriate. DO YOU WISH TO SERVE ON THE PARALYMPIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE? YES (marked) NO 2. 3rd Annual National Rehabilitation Hospital Autumn Auction NRH asks if you would serve (as you have in past years) on the Honorary Committee of its 3rd Annual Autumn Auction (invitation attached). DO YOU WISH TO SERVE ON THE NRH AUCTION HONORARY COMMITTEE? YES (marked) NO cc: Mariam Bechtel 1201 WEST PEACHTREE STREET, N.E., SUITE 2500 ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30309, U.S.A. 404-588-1996 (End of Letterhead) 1996 Paralympic Games July 21, 1994 The Honorable Bob Dole United States Senate 141 Hart Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Dole: In view ofyour longstanding commitment to the empowerment ofpeople with disabilities, we are writing on behalf of the Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee (APOC) to invite you to serve on APOC's National Advisory Council for the 1996 Paralympic Games. The Xth Paralympiad will be held for the first time in the United States during the summer of 1996 immediately following the Centennial Olympic Games. This landmark event will bring over 3,500 elite athletes with physical disabilities from 100 nations to our country to compete in nineteen sports. World class athletes with disabilities will strive for gold, silver, and bronze in most of the same venues that will earlier host the Olympic Games. APOC anticipates at least 1.5 million spectators and an international television audience for the two weeks of competition. While the Paralyrnpics are first and foremost about providing the highest caliber experience for the athletes, the event has a much broader impact. It will be an international showcase for American adaptive technologies and services, performing and visual artists with disabilities, legal and policy developments including the Americans with Disabilities Act, and breakthrough scientific research. In short, the Xth Paralympiad will be a global summit to advance the abilities of people with disabilities. In order to fulfill these expectations, APOC needs the support and guidance of America's leaders. The National Advisory Council is an invaluable component in helping to establish the public and private partnerships necessary for the success of the event. We believe that your participation will demonstrate both within the United States and to our friends abroad, the level of commitment that exists in our nation on disability issues. As a member of the Committee, we would request approval to publish your name in this capacity on stationery and other documents which contain infonnation on APOC. and the National Advisory Council. In addition, we would hope to... APOC's efforts to build cooperative relationships... opportunities for people with disabilities. Finally,... help develop the already unprecedented coorperate... Notes on Page: September 12 Alexander, I have copies of the Senator's answers and of the NRH request for my files. Thank you, Mariau The Triumph of the Human Spirit. The Xth Paralympiad will inspire youth and adults who face the daily challenge of physical disability. It will also be a very po1itive force in changing attitudes that impede access to the mainstream of society. Thank you for considering this invitation to join the National Advisory Council of the 1996 Paralympics. We look forward to learning your response. Sincerely, Harald Hansen Chairman of the Board G. Andrew Fleming President and Chief Executive Officer World Class Games The Paralympic Games are the ultimate competition for world class, elite athletes with physical disabilities and as such are linked to the Olympic Celebration each quadrennium. In March 1992, the Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee (APOC) was awarded the distinction of staging the Xth Paralympic Games, to be held shortly after the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996. The fundamental philosophy guiding the Paralympic movement is that athletes with disabilities should have opportunities to pursue their goals in sport equivalent to those of non-disabled athletes. Athletes who compete in the Paralympics set their sights on the dream of winning a gold medal, train hard and meet strict qualifying standards to be selected to their national team. APOC is committed to creating an environment of excellence where these elite athletes may achieve their personal best performance. Paralympic Facts & Figures The 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games will host: • 102 nations in • 19 sports (14 of which are Olympic sports) during • 10 days of competition Official dates are August 16 -27, 1996 (just two weeks following the close of the Olympic Games). Competitors are elite athletes with physical or visual impairments, including: the blind, paraplegics and quadriplegics, people with cerebral palsy, amputees, dwarfs and others. Each Paralympic athlete is selected to represent his or her country based on performance in competition The Paralympics are roughly one-third the size of the Olympics, with: • 4,000 athletes • 1,250 coaches and team staff • l,5OO officials, technical personnel and team support staff • 8,000 volunteers Like the Olympics, the Paralympics are privately financed. Revenue to produce the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games will come from a variety of sources, including corporate sponsorships. The Paralympics are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Statistics on Paralympic Athletes Wheelchair marathoners regularly complete marathons in 90 minutes, averaging 3-1/2 minutes per mile for the full 26-mile course. Paraplegic powerlifters have bench-pressed over 600 pounds. Double leg amputees have run 100 meters in 11.34 seconds -- less than 2 seconds slower than the Olympic record. Single leg amputees have high-jumped 6 feet, 8 inches, just 6 inches less than the Olympic record. Powerlifters with cerebral palsy have bench-pressed 400 pounds. Blind swimmers have come within one-hundredth of a second of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team. Sports Program for the 1996 Paralympic Games (End of Headline) There are 19 sports in the proposed program for the 1996 Paralympic Games, 15 of which are included in the Olympic Games program. Athletes with physical disabilities or visual impairments will compete in 15, while athletes with all types of disabilities will compete in athletics, swimming, equestrian events and sailing. Minor modifications are sometimes made to the rules of each sport in order to accommodate some of the disabilities of the athletes. Athletes are classified according to functional ability, and compete against athletes with similar disabilities. ARCHERY: As in the Olympic Games, the event programmed is the Olympic FITA Round, both individual and team. There are standing and wheelchair competitions, with the archers grouped in classes according to disability. ATHLETICS: This sport includes track, throwing and jumping events, the pentathlon and the marathon. Blind athletes, amputees, paraplegics and athletes with cerebral palsy compete in these events, though not all take part in all the disciplines. BASKETBALL: Played in wheelchairs by paraplegics, amputees and people with polio, wheelchair basketball has only small modifications to the rules and is virtually the same as that played in the Olympic Games. BOCCIA: A game of precision, this sport is played by athletes with cerebral palsy, whose object is to place balls closest to the target ball on a long, narrow field of play. Boccia has Italian origins. CYCLING: Events are divided into three groups according to disability: cerebral palsy, visual impairment and impaired mobility. Events programmed are road racing and trial events. EQUESTRIAN: All types of athletes compete in equestrian dressage events. FENCING: Fencers compete in wheelchairs fastened to the floor. The events include foil, sabre and epee. GOALBALL: Played by blind competitors, this sport involves balls which contains bells to orient the players. The object is to score goals, which are at either end of a playing field. JUDO: Visually impaired men follow International Judo Federation rules with only slight modifica­tions. LAWN BOWLS: Played on a larger playing area than boccia, lawn bowls is a similar precision sport. It is played by amputees, wheelchair athletes and athletes with visual impairment. POWERLIFfING: A sport open to paraplegics, amputees and competitors with cerebral palsy, this competition differs from the Olympic Games version in that the only event is the bench press. Only men's events are programmed. SOCCER: A variant of soccer played by teams of seven by athletes with varied degrees of cerebral palsy. SHOOTING: Rifle and pistol events in the air gun and .22 calibre categories are programmed in this sport, open to amputees, paraplegics and competitors with cerebral palsy. SWIMMING: Swimmers compete by gender in two groups, one for blind competitors and the second for swimmers with all other disabilities. TABLE TENNIS: Wheelchair and standing events are programmed. The rules are the same as in the Olympic Games, with some small technical variations in the wheelchair version. TENNIS: Wheelchair tennis is similar to conventional tennis, except the ball may bounce twice before being returned. Players compete in men's and women's singles and doubles. VOLLEYBALL: There are two competitions, standing and sitting volleyball. The first is identical to the version played in the Olympic Games. The second differs in the placing of the net, which is lowered appropriately for amputees who play seated on the ground. Paralympic Facts & Figures (End of Headline) The 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games will host: • 102 nations in • 19 sports (14 of which are Olympic sports) during • 10 days of competition Official dates are August 16-27, 1996 (just two weeks following the close of the Olympic Games). Competitors are elite athletes with physical or visual impairments, including: the blind, paraplegics and quadriplegics, people with cerebral palsy, amputees, dwarfs and others. Each Paralympic athlete is selected to represent his or her country based on performance in competition The Paralympics are roughly one-third the size of the Olympics, with: • 4,000 athletes • 1,250 coaches and team staff • 1,500 officials, technical personnel and team support staff • 8,000 volunteers Like the Olympics, the Paralympics are privately financed. Revenue to produce the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games will come from a variety of sources, including corporate sponsorships. The Paralympics are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Statistics on Paralympic Athletes Wheelchair marathoners regularly complete marathons in 90 minutes, averaging 3-1/2 minutes per mile for the full 26-mile course. Paraplegic powerlifters have bench-pressed over 600 pounds. Double leg amputees have run 100 meters in 11.34 seconds -- less than 2 seconds slower than the Olympic record. Single leg amputees have high-jumped 6 feet, 8 inches, just 6 inches less than the Olympic record. Powerlifters with cerebral palsy have bench-pressed 400 pounds. Blind swimmers have come within one-hundredth of a second of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team. History of the Paralympic Games (End of Headline) The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960 and have been held every Olympic year since then, usually in the city or country hosting the Olympic Games. A new page in Paralympic history was written when, in 1988, the Paralympic Games were held immediately following the Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, using the same facilities as the Olympic Games. History was repeated in September 1992, when Barcelona welcomed the athletes of the IXth Paralympiad to twelve days of glory and spectacle that attracted over 1.5 million spectators and received unprecedented international media coverage. From opening and closing ceremonies to competitions in Olympic venues, the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games mirrored the Olympic celebration held just three weeks earlier. The Chronology of Cities 1960 Rome, Italy 1964 Tokyo, Japan 1968 Tel Aviv, Israel 1972 Heidelberg, Germany 1976 Toronto, Canada 1980 Arnhem, Holland 1984 New York, USA and Stoke-Mandeville, England 1988 Seoul, Korea 1992 Barcelona, Spain Internationally ... Leaders of the Paralympics have always sought a close association with the larger Olympic movement, holding the Paralympic Games whenever possible in the city or country hosting the Olympic Games. Growing recognition of the accomplishments of athletes with physical disabilities by the International Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Committees have resulted in two important milestones: • Exhibitions in Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, Seoul and Barcelona that consisted of one event each for men and women in wheelchair track. • Inclusion of the Paralympics in the overall planning and structure of the Olympic Games in both Seoul and Barcelona. Nationally ... With the passage of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) embraced American athletes with disabilities. The USOC provides a limited number of programs and services directly to elite athletes with disabilities, supports programs of the major national disability sports organizations, and provides funding for the U.S. Paralympic Team participating in the Paralympic Games each quadrennium. National Rehabilitation Hospital Adding Life to Years 102 Irving Street, NW Washington, DC 20010.2949 202.877.1000 202.877.1450 (TDD) (End of Letterhead) August 18, 1994 Senator and Mrs. Robert Dole SH-141 HSOB Washington, DC 20510-1601 Dear Senator and Mrs. Dole: On behalf of the National Rehabilitation Hospital, we would like to invite you to serve on the Honorary Committee for the Hospital's third annual Autumn Auction. We have invited the Speaker and Mrs. Thomas Foley along with the Ambassador of Japan and Mrs. Kuriyama to serve as Honorary Co-Chairs. We also have invited the President and Mrs. Clinton to serve as Honorary Patrons for this event. This year's Autumn Auction is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15 at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan and Mrs. Kuriyama. As members of the Honorary Committee we only ask that you lend your name and if your schedule permits attend the Autumn Auction. We welcome any other participation on your part. As you know, the National Rehabilitation Hospital is a not-for-profit facility that has gained a reputation as one of the nation's finest medical rehabilitation hospitals, assisting persons with disabling conditions resulting from strokes, head and spinal cord injuries, amputations, back injuries, chronic pain, repetitive motion disorders, post-polio syndrome, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions. The Autumn Auction benefits our Therapeutic Garden and Sports Facility. In an effort to maximize the limited space in an urban setting, the Hospital has built a one-acre, park-like Therapeutic Garden that provides patients with a much needed outdoor area for daily therapy, including a circular walking fitness track and practice fitness stairs. A multi-purpose fitness court offers new opportunities for therapeutic sports activities not previously available at NRH, including wheelchair basketball, tennis, and volleyball. (End of Letter) Board of Directors Officers: Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr.- Chairman Hon. Stephen Ailes- Founding Chairman and Vice Chairman Edward A. Eckenhoff- President and Chief Executive Officer Richard S. Materson, MD- Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs Douglas Shepherd- Senior Vice President, Administration Thomas A. Parrott- Secretary LeRoy Eakin Ill- Treasurer Members: Peter M. Berkman, MD Paul Berry Vincent Burke, Jr. Philip R. Carr Noel A. Chandonnet Catherine F. Cleland Hon. Tony Coelho Robert E. Collins, MD James J. Cromwell Carolyne K. Davis, PhD Charles H. Epps, Jr., MD Elinor Farquhar Herman Gohn Webb C. Hayes IV ViCurtis G. Hinton John D. Kemp Jahr P. McDaniel Edward F. Mitchell Monsignor Harrold A. Murray Robert Ourisman Hon. Paul G. Rogers Patricia Skantze John Lewis Smith Ill Leonard P. Steuart II Hon. James W. Symington Executive Staff: Edward A. Eckenhoff- President and Chief Executive Officer Richard S. Materson, MD- Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs Douglas Shepherd- Senior Vice President, Administration John E. Toerge, DO- Associate Medical Director