Thank You, Senator Kennedy

When Sen. Kennedy died and the obituaries and memorials started pouring in, I was shocked to learn about the number of laws he had been responsible for. Many of these have transformed my life personally so it seems appropriate to take a moment to say thank you:

Thank you, Senator Kennedy, for the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a person living with a hearing impairment since birth, I will never know how much this act has improved my life.

Thank you, Senator Kennedy, for the Fair Housing Act Amendments of 1988 (FHA) which extended the Fair Housing Act of 1968 to include people with disabilities and families with children. Looking back, the FHA and the ADA were probably the laws that required the residence hall staff at my alma mater, Minnesota State University, Mankato, to install visual fire alarms in my dorm room. (Because of my hearing impairment, I can’t a fire alarm when I’m asleep with my hearing aids out, therefore I need a visual cue that all hell is breaking loose.)

Thank you, Senator Kennedy, for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guaranteed a free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities, regardless of their severity, in all states. Even though I had a severe hearing impairment, I went to public schools and got a great education.

Thank you, Senator Kennedy, for supporting Title IX. I have never known a world where it is not normal for there to be a girls’ track, cross-country, swim, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball or soccer team. Without Title IX, we would not have the WNBA. Without Title IX, I probably wouldn’t know my best friend today, who decided to attend MSU, Mankato partly because of its women’s hockey team.

Thank you, Senator Kennedy, for all of your work on behalf of vocational rehabilitation, student loans, food safety, generic drugs, the list goes on and on. I am humbled when I realize how much of your work affects me on a daily basis.

Most of all, thank you, Senator Kennedy, for your work on behalf of universal health care. Yes, “the work still goes on”, even though you’re not here, but don’t worry: We’ll finish the job. There will be quality, affordable health care for every American.

Thank you, Senator Kennedy, for being a great senator, a great liberal, a great Catholic and a great American.

Thank you, Senator Kennedy. May you rest in peace.