[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 86 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 86

 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                March 2 (legislative day, March 1), 2021

Ms. Duckworth (for herself, Mr. Casey, and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           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 Senate--
            (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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