CIL Needs Your Help - p.3
"No country, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources."
Ground Breaking - Page 2
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt I
Access Press POLITICAL ROLE MODELS Don't Hide FDR's Disability by Wendy S. Brower
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$55 million memorial to our country's 31" president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was commemorated on a 7.5 acre site on the bank of the Potomac River in Washington, DC, on Friday, May 2, 1997. As of this writing, The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission has declded that no statute will depict FDR as a man who was unable to walk during his last twenty-four of the United States.
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Other times he masked his disability to the public by learning how to make it "look like he was walking." To do this he wore heavy braces that were painted black to match his socks and was assisted (held up) by a person on each side. Once he was scheduled to speak in a building where the only door was at the top of many steps. The solution? *4w*~.t
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T&angy, 66% of America's adults with disabilities are unemployed. To help alter this startling statistic, people with disabilities need more role models. Who ~ better ~ than . Three years ago, disability one ofthe world's most pow- groups learned that the FDR erful leaders of this century? Memorial Commission would not include adepiction ofFDR To millions ofdisabled people in his wheelchair. The Nalike Jim Dickson, organizer tional Organization on Disof FDRin a WheelchairCam- ability made several requests paign for the National Orga- to change the memorial. The nization on Disability, FDR is FDR Memorial Commission that role model. Dickson re- refused, so did the designer, calls being told by his doctor Lawrence Halprin. He said, at age seven that he had juve- "Idon't thinkit needsit; from nile maculardegeneration and my point of view the memowould soon be blind. As he rial is acomplete work of art, walked out of the doctor's of- esthetically and historically ." fice. his mother told him, "If Franklin Roosevelt could be President Clinton, the FDR President, then you can do Commission's Honorary Cowhat you want." Chair, announced on April 23, 1997, that he will introduce In the 1930's and 1940's, FDR legislation tocongress to add was well aware of society's another statue depicting FDR negative attitudes toward in a wheelchair. Why the last people with disabilities. He minute show of support'? 'was afraid that if American's Could it be that he's learned knew the truth about his dis- from his recent knee injury ability, he would never be that one can still he an cf'ccelected president. He had the tive president and usc full cooperation of the press crutches? Could i t he that he corps to neverphotograph him was afraid of 500 Americans seated in a wheelchair. Only with disabilities protesting at two of the more than 125,000 the memorial dedication cerphotographs in the FDR Li- emonies on May 2nd? brary at Hyde Park show him using a wheelchair. In Minnesota, Senator Linda Berglin authored a resolution Sometimes he arrived at calling for the addition of anevents early so no one would other statue. She told her see him enter in a wheelchair. colleagues in the Senate, -
One of two photos depicting FDR in his wheelchair out of the 125,000phot0s at the memorial.
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Mm i 4 Rep. Torrev Westrom
Quietly Dissolving Stereotypes by Jane Wheeler hat is most notable W a b o u t one of Minnesota's newest legislators is not his ability to navigate the halls of government with his white cane and his mental map, but his rare comhination of youth and fiscally conservative politics. At 24 years old, Independent Rcpuhlican Torrey Westrom is thc second youngest state legislator and the f'irst meniher ofthc state House of Representatives who is blind or visually impaired. He is breaking two stereotypes; that blind people can not succeed in the mainstream and that young people just want to spend money. He did not pursue his seat in government specifically to
become a role model for the disabled community, but he does recognize his position for opening doors. "I bring more hands on experience to the issues or concerns; so I think it's a good fit," Representative Westrom said of his relation todisability policy and added, "but it's not the only issuc out thcrc." Since he represents the primarily rural district 13 A, Representative Westrom is greatly concerned about rcvitalizing the small communities of Minnesota. Although these are the issues he built his campaign around, since coming to Saint Paul he has had to deal with legislation that affects disabled individuals across the state.
Throughout this past session, Westrom's reaction to funding disability programs has been calculated. He has not deliberately opposed increases, but has been careful to secure that the legislature allocates and spends the money properly. Wcstrorn reluctantly voted to increase funding for Metro Mobility. This is not an issuc that was simply brought to him by consumers. Hc has personally used the service and believes it is necessary. The program's efficiency concerns him, and he cautions that we are possibly "throwing more good money after bad." "You can kill over half a day just to go to one
Westrom - cont. on p.3
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the building was raised to eliminate the need for steps. Wow! Only the President bf the Unipd States would get that kind aF an accommodation!
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"showing Roosevelt in his wheelchair or with his braces or cane would be a victory for historical accuracy, a way of shattering st&eotypes about disabilities and a lesson for all." The resolution was coauthored by Senators Roger Moe, Allan Spear and Dean Johnson; it passed on a v@ke vote. Governor Arne Carlson recently wrote, "Even though -1r4kwohw
that FDR's disability was a reality. To not recognize this reality in even one of his memorial statues may be a disservice to not only his memory but also to the 49 million Americans who live with and strive to overcome their own disabilities." Other supporters who support depicting FDR's disability include: Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, Representatives Bruce Vento, Martin Sabo, and Jim Ramstad along with sixteen of Roosevelt's family, past Presidents Bush, Carter. and Ford. In a 1995 Harris poll, 73% of those asked said the memorial should include "visible recognition of FDR's disability." Historian and author of No Ordinuty Times,Doris Kearns Goodw in declared, "Roosevelt's polio made his special relationship with the American people possible. Not to allow that to be shown would be a l'undaniental distortion of history, u real loss." "They're trying to steal our hero from us," says Hugh Gallagher. who wrote FDR's Splendid Deceptiot~."It's bad enough that we spin the present. Let's not start spinning the past. It is not revisionist to show Roosevelt in a wheelchair because he was in
FDR - cont. on p.2