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Senator Bob Dole Remarks-Franklin Delano Roosevelt, A Disability Hero
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Senator Bob Dole Remarks-Franklin Delano Roosevelt, A Disability Hero
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FOIA Number: 2012-0741-F
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This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
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Public Liaison
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Alexis Herman/Ruby Moy
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5263
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Senator Bob Dole Remarks-Franklin Delano Roosevelt, A Disability Hero
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29
7
2
3
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Alexis-
FYI
Forwarded by wodatchj with comment:
Dole's remarks
Dibbi
From:
Alexander Vachon <Alec [email protected]>
Subject:
Senator Bob Dole Lauds President Franklin Roosevelt
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clarkson Hine
Tuesday, April 4, 1995
(202) 224-5358
PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT:
A DISABILITY HERO
WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole today made the
fol owing remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate in honor of the
50th anniversary of FDR's death on April 12, 1995:
As many members of the Senate know, it is my custom to speak
each year about a disability subject on April 14th. It is the
date II was wounded in World War II and joined the disability
community myself. This year we will be in recess on April 14th,
SC = will give my annual message today.
I will talk about another member of the disability
community--certainly one of its most prominent members. But
throughout his life, his disability was not only unknown to most
people, it was denied and hidden.
I am speaking about President Franklin Roosevelt. Next
week, the nation will commemorate the 50th anniversary of his
death on April 12th, 1945. He will surely be recalled by many as
a master politician; an energetic and inspiring leader during the
dark days of the depression; a tough, single-minded Commander-in-
Chief during World War II; and a statesman.
No doubt about it, he was all these things. But he was also
the first elected leader in history with a disability, and he was
a disability hero.
FDR's Splendid Deception
In 1921, at age 39, Franklin Roosevelt was a young man in a
hurry. He was following the same political path that took his
cousin Theodore Roosevelt to the White House. In 1910 he was
elected to the New York State Senate, and later was appointed
Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In 1920, he was the Democratic
candidate for Vice President.
Then, on the evening of August 10th, while on vacation, he
felt 111 and went to bed early. Within three days he was
paralyzed from the chest down. Although the muscles of his upper
body soon recovered, he remained paralyzed below the waist.
His political career screeched to a halt. He spent the next
seven years in rehabilitation, determined to walk again. He
never did. He mostly used a wheelchair. Sometimes he was
carried by his sons or aides. Other times he crawled on the
floor
But he did perfect the illusion of walking--believing that
otherwise his political ambitions were dead. He could stand
upright only with his lower body painfully wrapped in steel
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braces. He moved forward by swinging his hips, leaning on the
arm of a family member or aide. It worked for only a few feet at
a time. It was dangerous. But it was enough to convince people
that FDR was not a "cripple." FDR biographer Hugh Gallagher has
called this effort, and other tricks used to hide his disability,
"FDR's splendid deception.'
This deception was aided and abetted by many others. The
press were co-conspirators. No reporter wrote that FDR could not
walk, and no photographer took a picture of him in his
wheel chair. For that matter, thousands saw him struggle when he
"walked." Maybe they didn't believe or understand what they saw.
In 1928, FDR ended his political exile, and was elected
Governor of New York. Four years later, he was President. On
March 4th, 1933, standing at the East Front of this Capitol, he
said, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.' He was 35
feet from his wheelchair. Few people knew from what deep
personal experiences he spoke.
(more)
Perhaps the only occasion where FDR fully acknowledged the
extent of his disability in public was a visit to a military
hospital in Hawaii. He toured the amputee wards in his
wheelchair. He went by each bed, letting the men see him exactly
as he was. He didn't need to give any pep talks--his example
said it all.
FDR A Disability Hero
Earlier I called FDR a "disability hero. But it was not
for the reasons some might think. It would be easy to cite his
courage and grit. But FDR would not want that. "No sob stuff,"
he told the press in 1928 when he started his comeback. Even
within his own family, he did not discuss his disability. It was
simply a fact of life.
In my view, FDR is a hero for his efforts on behalf of
others with a disability. In 1926, he purchased a run-down
resort in Warm Springs, Georgia, and over the next 20 years
turned it into a unique, first class rehabilitation center. It
was based on a new philosophy of treatment one where
psychological recovery was as important as medical treatment.
FDR believed in an independent life for people with
disabilities- at a time when society thought they belonged at
home or in institutions.
Warm Springs was run by people with polio, for people with
polio. In that spirit, FDR is the father of the modern
independent living movement--which puts people with disabilities
in control of their own lives.
He also founded the National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis today known as the "March of Dimes and raised
millions of dollars to help others with polio and find a cure.
On April 12th, 1955, on the 10th anniversary of his death, the
March of Dimes announced the first successful polio vaccine,
engineered by Dr. Jonas Salk. Today, polio is virtually extinct
in the United States, Next week, the March of Dimes will
celebrate the 40th anniversary of the vaccine in Ann Arbor.
In public policy, FDR understood that government help in
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rehabilitating people with disabilities is "good business" - often
returning more in taxes and savings than it costs. It is
unfortunately a philosophy that even today we often pay more lip
service than practice.
Disability Today and Tomorrow
Our nation has come a long way in its understanding of
disability since the days of President Roosevelt. For example,
we recognize that disability is a natural part of life. We have
begun to build a world that is accessible. No longer do we
accept that buildings either through design or indifference - are
not accessible, which is a "keep out" sign for the disabled.
We have come a long way in another respect - - in attitudes.
Fifty years ago, we had a President, Franklin Roosevelt, who
could not walk and believed it was necessary to disguise that
fact from the American people. Today I trust that Americans
would have no problem in electing as President a man or woman
with a disability.
Let's not fool ourselves - - this work is not done. Not by a
long shot. And I think this is something that we can all agree
on, Republican or Democrat.
So, next week, as WE honor President Roosevelt, let us
remember him as a disability hero and dedicate ourselves to this
unfinished business.
###