United States: Perhaps the most famous person with a disability in American history, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, hid his disability, knowing the impact it would have on his image on public and how the United States was viewed on the global stage.
He used leg braces and a cane to help him move. He had special wheelchairs made that didn’t look like wheelchairs. And he pressured the press never to publish images of him in a “vulnerable” state. Of hundreds of thousands of photos taken of FDR, only a handful exist that show him in a wheelchair.
Decades later, Roosevelt’s disability is now common knowledge. A statue of him in a wheelchair welcomes visitors to his inspiring memorial. FDR’s incredible impact on our nation is now considered even more impressive due to the fact that he struggled with a serious illness.
A powerful example of perseverance and courage, he is a hero to people in the disabled community, including our own Ranger Stanley. He shares his thoughts here:
President Franklin mentioned in the statement, “For this reason, I tell very few people about mine. Starting in college, I turned down services, and I felt that there were others who would benefit more than me. I was also ashamed. I did not want my new friends and future colleagues to look at me differently.”
On this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities, he further stated, “I ask that you take a moment and think back to actions you had taken, or things said or thought about a person or people with disabilities and how you would feel if you were the recipient of them.”
For that is our strongest way of overcoming the stigmas that are associated with disabilities, empathy and kindness. he believes that if we all proceed with the thought of how people’s actions will affect others, no one, from a park ranger to a President, would ever feel the need to hide a part of selves.”
