Senator Kennedy Dies
One of the longest sitting senators in history has died. Mr. Kennedy was always a champion of the disabled and pushed legislation through for the disabled in education and was instrumental in getting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pushed through the senate. Many of us would not have a place to call home or a had place to go to work without this law. Very few of us actually call or write congress as most people think that it is a waste of time and that there is too much behind the scenes negotiating. Spinal Cord Resources does not believe that and the types of legislation that Ted Kennedy voted for and helped to get through compromise committees show that one person can make a tremendous impact on how America treats her disabled community. While the constitution guarantees rights for all it took additional laws to force schools to be physically accessible tot he disabled. .Most building would not be accessible by those in wheelchairs or walkers if the ADA was not the law of the land. There are still places in virtually all cities that the disabled cannot get into hot because it is hard or expensive, but because of those that hate the disabled. From the 1940’s through the 1970’s "ugly" laws made sure that the disabled lived in nursing homes a long way from those that didn’t want to see them. Malls and other building were made with steps so that the disabled could not get in. Many single family homes have steps that are not required in the plans so that the disabled could not buy them. Laws like the ADA changed all of that and now we have a court system that works with us to make life safe and worth living.
If the many laws that Mr. Kennedy championed never became laws, we would all be living in a much different America. The Senator proved that one person could make a major difference in congress and America. We at SCRN ask you our readers to call or write your congressmen to let them know how you feel about the issues of the day. Most probably believe that Washington D.C. is too impenetrable or that no one wants to hear from them. Nothing is further from the truth and Senator Kennedy proved it every day. We called our congressman about two weeks ago to get information about a town hall meeting and to discuss our medical system. The person on the phone was helpful and sent to a another person who listened to what we had to say and asked good questions back. This is not the way indifferent people work, these folks want to do the right thing and the only way they know how is to listen to you. It is hoped that this death gives you a few moments to think about what our government provides to us and what can be done better. Sure things are frustrating and everything may not go your way but that is not a reason to give up. The disabled have usually had to deal with way more than a bad day and we all need to do our part. Democracy is not a spectator sport and Senator Kennedy was there to make the important votes, even when he was very sick for the last year of his life. Lets all take the opportunity to do better than we have before, help those around us and let your officials that you pay know what is on your mind. That way we all win with a better country and you knowing that you helped to make a difference – just like Ted did for all those years in the senate.
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