Kennedys Address DNC Disability Forum

September 5, 2012 – Ted Kennedy, Jr. and his brother Patrick, both sons of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Sr. addressed the disabilities forum today. Both recalled how living with disabilities can impact one’s life.

Ted, Jr. (as many people remember), was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer and underwent a traumatic leg amputation.  Patrick suffered through bouts of drug dependency and alcoholism. Both detailed their life-changing experiences, and the stark realities of how differently people are treated when they are classified as handicapped or disabled.

Both remarked how seeing their father’s speech from 1994 last night still sends a clear message today regarding his advocacy for the underserved, disenfranchised, and those who suffer from disabilities.  In the words of my father, said Patrick, “Nobody in the country had a better friend in my father than those without a voice.”