FDR in Wheelchair a 'Monument to Freedom'

W A S H I N G T O N, Jan. 10 -- Calling it "a monument to freedom," President Clinton today dedicated a bronze statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt that clearly shows the former president sitting in the wheelchair that he himself designed to be unobtrusive.

The statue, which sits at the entrance to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Potomac Park, makes apparent what Roosevelt tried to conceal throughout his life - the fact that he was afflicted with polio.

Some of his descendents at first objected to the plans to depict the president in a way that made it obvious he was sitting in a wheelchair, but most have since come to agree with the groups that support people with disabilities, who see Roosevelt as an inspiration.

"It was a shame, disgrace and embarrassment to have his wheelchair hidden in this memorial when in fact he used it every day of his life," said Alan Reich, president of the NationalOrganization on Disability, which spearheaded the initiative.

The original statue at the 3 ½-year-old memorial shows him covered with a cape in astraight chair with two tiny wheels behind, but the new statue vividly illustrates how the four-term president privately dealt with his disability.

"It is grand and beautiful, all right, but it is so accessible in a way that, I think, would have pleased President Roosevelt and Mrs. Roosevelt," Clinton said. "The power of the statue is in itsimmediacy, and its reminder for all who touch, who see, who wheel and walk around, that they, too, are free.

"It's a monument to freedom," he said.

A Monument for the Future

Though his achievements make a Roosevelt an example for those who champion the cause of people with disabilities, in his life he tried to draw as little attention as possible to his condition, fearing that it would hurt his political career. He was rarely photographed in his wheelchair and asked the media to avoid mentioning that he was stricken with polio, a request that was largely respected.

The new statue might seem to violate Roosevelt's wishes, but at least one member of his family agreed that it was important for people to see that the four-term president who led the country out of the depression and during World War II was largely confined to a wheelchair.