Oh, and one other thing: cerebral palsy sometimes made it difficult for Berry to be understood - no small barrier in politics, where communication means everything.

"There were people who said 'What are you doing Fred? Haven't you heard yourself talk?'" Berry says.

Nearly 20 years later, Fred Berry's still talking. That initial victory in 1982, in which the 32-year-old Berry won retiring Sen. Jack King's seat by more than 1,800 votes, has been repeated eight times.

The Peabody Democrat is now the longest serving member of the state Senate.

"Politicians have been talking funny for years, so nobody noticed," Berry says, with characteristic humor.

The thing is, people have noticed. Just ask the long list of groups that have called Berry a "hero" to others with disabilities.

Or the lawmakers who've clashed with Berry over the state's standard of special education, which is among the highest in the nation, but is now threatened.

House and Senate members are now haggling over whether to change the state's 25-year-old state standard, known as the "maximum feasible benefit" standard, to conform with the lower federal standard.

Berry gave an emotional argument in favor of the state standard last month.

"If we had maximum feasible benefit when I was a kid, I'd be governor today," Berry, 50, joked last week.

Colleagues in the Senate and on the powerful budget-writing Ways and Means Committee say Berry's wit - he's known as one of the most humorous people in the Senate - comes in handy during contentious budget debates.

But Republican Sen. Henri Rauschenbach, who says he and Berry disagree on almost all issues, said opponents would be wrong to underestimate Berry because of his frequent humor.

"Many people don't see the substance that exists there," said Rauschenbach. "Fred is, above all, a consummate legislator who understands how the public policy agenda is shaped and how to move it."

Indeed, Berry is known as a champion of the disabled.

He has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth, a condition in which a brain injury affects muscle control, including speech and movement.

His resume lists honors and awards from a variety of organizations. The Boston Celtics called him "A Hero Among Us."

The Easter Seals named an award after him, which is now given annually to disabled people who live independently.

There have been legislative successes as well.

In May, the governor signed into law a proposal that guarantees the same level of treatment for mental ailments as is given for physical ailments - the so-called mental health parity bill, which Berry had pushed for nearly a decade.

Berry also ensured that $618,000 was included in last year's budget for technology to help disabled people.

Berry, who is vice chairman of Ways and Means, also serves on the Housing and Urban Development, Energy and Insurance committees.

Berry himself lists as his greatest achievement a renovation at a sewage treatment plant in his district, which he said saved local residents about $113 million in water and sewer payments.

Still, advocates for the disabled say Berry's position and presence inspire other disabled people more than any lecture. Easter Seals spokeswoman Nancy E. Anderson recalled a banquet two years ago in which Berry addressed a roomful of disabled teen-agers.

"There he was, standing there, with his speech that's sometimes difficult to understand, and his crutches," said Anderson.

"There he was - the dean of the Massachusetts Senate."