[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 183 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 183
Recommitting the United States to the promotion of disability rights
and to the values enshrined in the Prologue Room of the Franklin Delano
Roosevelt Memorial in the District of Columbia, and recognizing the
enduring contributions that individuals with disabilities have made
throughout the history of the United States and the role of the
disability community in the ongoing struggle for civil rights in the
United States, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 2, 2021
Ms. Norton (for herself, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Young, and Ms. Porter)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recommitting the United States to the promotion of disability rights
and to the values enshrined in the Prologue Room of the Franklin Delano
Roosevelt Memorial in the District of Columbia, and recognizing the
enduring contributions that individuals with disabilities have made
throughout the history of the United States and the role of the
disability community in the ongoing struggle for civil rights in the
United States, and for other purposes.
Whereas the Prologue Room of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (referred to
in this preamble as the ``Memorial''), which prominently displays a
statue, sculpted by Robert Graham, of the 32nd President of the United
States in a wheelchair, was dedicated on January 10, 2001, by President
Bill Clinton;
Whereas the dedication of the Prologue Room, a critically important addition to
the Memorial because of its historically accurate depiction of the
disability of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, occurred 4 years
after the initial dedication of the Memorial;
Whereas the dedication of the Prologue Room was the culmination of a 6-year
campaign led by the disability community to ensure that future
generations knew that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the United
States during the Great Depression and World War II while using a
wheelchair;
Whereas President Franklin Delano Roosevelt became paralyzed at the age of 39,
became a wheelchair user, and never took another step unassisted after
acquiring his disability;
Whereas, at the dedication ceremony for the Prologue Room in 2001, President
Bill Clinton said, ``This is a monument to freedom . . . . The power of
the statue is in its immediacy, and in its reminder to all who touch,
all who see, all who walk or wheel around, that they, too, are free, but
every person must claim freedom'';
Whereas individuals with disabilities have always been integral to the civil
rights movement in the United States, and the ongoing fight of the
disability community for equal rights and opportunities in the United
States continues as individuals throughout the United States strive to
build ``a more perfect Union'';
Whereas the campaign to create the Prologue Room with a statue of President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a wheelchair was led by Michael R. Deland,
then-Chairman of the National Organization on Disability, Alan A. Reich,
founder and then-President of the National Organization on Disability,
and James Dickson, who directed the grassroots campaign for the addition
of the wheelchair statue;
Whereas former Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush sent
letters of support for the addition of the disability representation at
the Memorial;
Whereas 16 grandchildren of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued a letter
on April 8, 1997, stating, ``The public's interest is in learning about
those dramatically challenging times and about the courage, strength and
determination of the man who led the country and the world in overcoming
great odds, and in becoming the single greatest example for democracy,
freedom, and enterprise in the history of the world. It would be a
disservice to history and the public's interest if the impact of polio
on the man were to be hidden. The goal of the FDR Memorial must be to
enable future generations to understand the whole man and the events and
experiences that helped to shape his character.'';
Whereas, as of the date of adoption of this resolution, the Memorial is impacted
by deferred maintenance and accessibility issues;
Whereas the Great American Outdoors Act (Public Law 116-152; 134 Stat. 682) was
signed into law on August 4, 2020, to address the deferred maintenance
at National Park Service sites, including the Memorial;
Whereas the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.) states that no
qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of
disability, ``be excluded from the participation in, be denied the
benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance'';
Whereas the primarily artistic braille renderings at the Memorial are
inaccessible to blind and low-vision visitors, the very individuals that
braille is intended to serve;
Whereas accessible signs and placards for blind and low-vision visitors--
(1) are not a permanent feature incorporated into the Memorial; and
(2) do not sufficiently bridge the accessibility gap; and
Whereas providing a library of expanded accessible materials to support the
educational experience of all visitors, both physically at the Memorial
site and virtually, would work to enhance the legacy of President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's disability and the community: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) calls on the United States to recommit itself to the
promotion of disability rights and to the values enshrined in
the Prologue Room at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
(referred to in this resolution as the ``Memorial''), at home
and abroad, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the
dedication of the Prologue Room;
(2) recognizes the important work of the disability
community, and the historic campaign championed by that
community, that led to the expansion of the Memorial to include
a statue that clearly and visibly depicts President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt in a wheelchair; and
(3) calls on the National Park Service and the National
Park Foundation, a congressionally chartered nonprofit
organization--
(A) to continue to increase access to the Memorial
for individuals with disabilities, as required by law,
including through the installation of tactile braille
on signs and placards as specified in the document of
the National Library Service for the Blind and Print
Disabled of the Library of Congress entitled
``Specification 800:2014 Braille Book and Pamphlets''
and dated October 2014; and
(B) to support the development of accessible
educational materials to ensure awareness is raised
about the history of the Memorial and disability
rights.
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