As a conservative, I have rarely agreed with Senator Kennedy on the various pieces of legislation that he has sponsored. However, in 1991, Senator Kennedy and Republican Senator Orin Hatch worked tirelessly to pass "The Americans With Disabilities Act", which I feel is one the greatest pieces of legislation that has been passed in Congress within the last twenty years.

My late father, Andy Combs, was a World War II veteran, a Korean War veteran and a very successful businessman that was stricken with polio in 1956 at the age of 32. He was one of the last adults who got this awful disease before the vaccination became available on a nationwide level.  My father spent one year in Warm Springs, Georgia, which was the summer home of Franklin Roosevelt. They had an excellent reabilitation center there for people with polio.

After he left Warm Springs, he returned to this home in Charleston, South Carolina and became a very sucessful developer of hundreds of homes.  He would walk with braces and, if needed, he would use a wheelchair. He was one of the most positive individuals that you would ever meet. My father never let his disability get in the way of his life or his career.  Whenever the scooters came out in the last twenty years, he ordered one immediately and became such a fan that he started selling handicap equipment.

My parents would travel all around the world but my father's favorite city was always Washington, DC.  He loved this city for the history and the grandeur, but he really liked this city because it was so handicapped accessible. He could travel into any restaurant, museum or place of business with no trouble.  He felt so comfortable in the city and hoped one day that the rest of the country would follow the model of this great city.

"The Americans With Disabilities Act" allowed my father and millions of handicapped Americans to enjoy our country, just as everyone else does, by giving them the freedom to travel.  Senator Kennedy worked hard on this legislation, as well as many Democrats and Republicans.  But without the courage and stamina of Senator Kennedy, this legislation would not have been passed.

My father was a true patriot and loved his country more than anyone I know. He passed away in March, 2004 and I believe he now runs through the streets of Heaven with such peace. 

Thank you, Senator Kennedy, for helping to give my father the ability to see this great country before his death in a dignified way.