Unlikely Advocates: How One of America's Most Influential Families Became Some of the Disability Community's Strongest Allies

Recently I finished a book entitled “Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter” by Kate Clifford Larson. I was turned on to the book by my girlfriend Samantha Lebron. She knows that I love history, especially political history. When I first began reading the book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Kennedy family has been written about extensively. I thought this would be another look at the Kennedy family through the lens of politics, and, to some extent, it was, but it was much more than just a book about politics.

As I got deeper into the book, I realized the book was about something more. It was on a deeper level about the history of the treatment of people with disabilities in the United States. Although Rosemary Kennedy was born to one of the most affluent families of the 20th century, unbeknownst to her she would face prejudices not only from the outside world but even from some members of her own family. Without recounting the whole book which I highly recommend you should read, I will say that what happened to Rosemary Kennedy reflected attitudes about disability at the time.

The book does a great job of not only detailing Rosemary’s struggles as a young child, but it also does a great job of using her experiences to highlight the subhuman treatment of people with disabilities that was commonplace during that era. However, Rosemary can serve as an example of how the best characteristics of the human race are often seen during the darkest of times. Not every member of Rosemary’s family saw her disability as a thing that should be looked down upon. In fact, her sister Eunice would become one of the disability community’s most powerful advocates. It is through the work of the Kennedy family and their relatives that two of today’s most powerful and influential disability organizations are even in existence. Eunice took a special interest in a program known as the Special Olympics and helped transform it into what it has become today. If this was not impactful enough, Anthony Kennedy Shriver would go on to found Best Buddies International. For those unfamiliar with the organization, it aims to give people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs) the chance to live fuller and more inclusive lives by increasing socialization and opportunities for growth.

In closing, it is this writer’s opinion that the Kennedy family, a family who is often associated with heartbreak and tragedy, needs to be remembered not only for what they have undergone but also, they need to be celebrated by people with disabilities more than they already are. Without the Kennedys the disability rights movement may have taken longer to reach the goals it has so far.

Until next time, your friendly neighborhood super advocate, 

Jay