He started out just wanting to be a role model, but State Sen. Frederick Berry, D-Peabody, is now a "Distinguished Citizen."

Thursday morning, in the Great Hall of the State House, Berry, along with 11 others, is being awarded a "2000 Distinguished Citizen Award" for his leadership in preserving the quality special education for the commonwealth.

"I'm actually a little embarrassed by all the attention," Berry said, "but I am very grateful."

Berry said when he first started out in politics, he just wanted to be a player, a role model.

"Over the years, due to the fact of my longevity," he said, "it has led to many good changes."

The good changes he is referring to are better laws and increased aid for disabled citizens.

The Massachusetts Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) is recognizing him for his stand on special education and maintaining the maximum feasible benefit standard with Chapter 766. Chapter 766 refers to special education, an issue that has long been near and dear to the senator's heart.

When asked what the most significant changes have been during his 17-year-tenure at the State House, Berry points to changes made at the federal level.

"The most significant would be the Americans with Disabilities Act," he said. "It was really a civil rights law."

While he said there were other advancements made, he said they have come slowly. He is more focused on the fact there is still much to do to change the way society looks at the disabled.

"There is a still a stigma in our society against disabled Americans," Berry said. "There is still an attitude."

Berry said that while the state and the nation are basking in record low unemployment numbers, the disabled community is facing a 70-percent unemployment rate.

"People don't want to reach out to the disabled community and put them to work," he said.

In the future Berry plans to work to institute more training programs, develop better housing for the disabled and help people see the bigger picture.

"People are living in the community now and interacting. We are so much further along than we were 20 years ago," he said, "but there is still so much more to do and so little time to do it in."

Berry is the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and the ranking member of the Massachusetts Senate in seniority.

Also being honored by ARC Thursday was Sen. Henri Rauschenbach, R-Cape and the Islands, and advocates Jay Smith, Dan Becker, Richard Frye, Alan Goisseau, Dorina Depina, Cathy Costanza, Jon Johanson, Rehabilitative Resources Inc., James "Mel" Colman, and Tim Sindelar.