Disability Voices in Tidal Basin and FDR Memorial Plans

Author: FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee)
Published: 29 Oct 2020 - Updated: 11 Nov 2026
Publication Type: Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content

Synopsis

This report from the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee sets out the group's call for the National Trust for Historic Preservation to widen who has a say in the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab, the planning effort shaping the future of the Tidal Basin, the FDR Memorial and the surrounding National Mall. The committee argues that disability community leaders, DC residents from every Ward and local educators were left out of early stakeholder talks, and it asks that Universal Design best practices and recognized accessibility experts guide every stage of planning. It also presses for a fast-tracked accessibility and inclusion review of the Memorial, funding for educational programs that tell underrepresented stories of the Roosevelt era, and repairs that respect the Memorial's original design. The document matters to people with disabilities, seniors and families who visit the National Mall, since it shows how a monument honoring a president who used a wheelchair could again fall short on access if disabled people are not consulted, and it comes from advocates with direct ties to the original campaign for FDR's disability to be represented.*

At a Glance

• 1 - The FDR Committee operates independently under the non-profit fiscal sponsorship of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL).
• 2 - The Prologue room, which shows FDR in his wheelchair, was added about four years after the Memorial opened in 1997, following a campaign led by people with disabilities.
• 3 - Five landscape architecture firms - DLANDstudio, GGN, Hood Design Studio, James Corner Field Operations and Reed Hilderbrand - submitted proposals to the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab.
• 4 - The committee wants the University of the District of Columbia involved through internships, apprenticeships and training, and suggests land near the Memorial could host an enhanced visitor center.

Topic Definition

Universal Design

Universal Design is an approach to planning buildings, public spaces, products and information so they can be used by as many people as possible, regardless of age, size, ability or disability, without the need for special adaptation or separate accommodations. Rather than adding ramps or alternate entrances as an afterthought, it builds features such as level routes, wide paths, good lighting, seating, tactile and audio information and clear wayfinding into a design from the start. The concept was shaped in the 1980s and 1990s by architect Ronald Mace and colleagues at North Carolina State University, who set out seven guiding principles including equitable use, flexibility in use and low physical effort. In public landscapes and memorials, Universal Design means people with disabilities, older adults and families with strollers can share the same experience of a place side by side.

Overview

The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee) proactively engaged the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) to insist the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab and all future plans related to the Tidal Basin, the FDR Memorial and the National Mall utilize best practices in Universal Design to maximize inclusion and access and consult with known experts in the field at all stages of the planning.

Several members of the FDR Committee Advisory Board, Jane Deland, Steven Graham, Arlene King-Berry, John Kemp, Meg O'Connell, and Executive Director Mary Dolan pressed upon the NTHP the requirement to expand their current and limited approach to direct stakeholder involvement.

"Disability community leadership and educators, both local to DC and nationally, are two of the key groups we feel are missing from this critical conversation," said Meg O'Connell, Founder and CEO of Global Disability Inclusion.

FDR Committee Mission

The mission of the FDR Committee is to ensure that the efforts by the disability community to guarantee representation at the FDR Memorial in Washington DC are not forgotten and, as initially intended, becomes part of the Memorial's educational materials, visitor information, and collective memory.

Every year nearly 2.5 million people visit the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC, dedicated in 1997 to pay tribute to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Visitors now experience a seamlessly constructed memorial; however, representation of FDR's disability was not included in the initial design. After a hard-fought campaign led by people with disabilities, the first room - Prologue - was eventually added four years after the initial opening of the Memorial. The FDR Committee's priority is to ensure this story is accurately told and preserved for history.

Inclusivity and Representation

The FDR Committee laid out the following points to further encourage NTHP to expand their approach to inclusivity and representation.

1. Expansion of the stakeholders to the Ideas Lab to include:

• a. The disability community leadership - both local to DC and nationally.
• b. DC residents across all Wards with the intent to enhance usage and access to the National Mall and its assets.
• c. Educators from DC area and beyond as key individuals who will utilize the Tidal Basin area for educational purposes.

2. NTHP to highlight to National Park Service (NPS) and other cooperating agencies and institutions:

• a. The importance of funding educational programming at the FDR Memorial to tell the underrepresented stories related to the Memorial and the Roosevelt era.
• b. The concern that any repairs to the FDR Memorial including the fountains be done in a comprehensive and integrated manner that takes into account the original intent of the FDR Memorial design and future plans for the Tidal Basin. NTHP should remind NPS and others of Steven Graham's interest and expertise as an original artist of the FDR Memorial.
• c. The importance of fast tracking an accessibility and inclusion review at the FDR Memorial and surrounding areas as proposed by the FDR Committee and make needed improvements in consultation with the disability community and recognized experts in Universal Design.

3. The Ideas Lab and all future plans related to the Tidal Basin, the FDR Memorial and the National Mall to utilize the best practices in Universal Design to maximize inclusion and access and consult with known experts in the field at all stages of the planning.

4. Allowing the FDR Memorial and the areas nearby to become inaccessible and to fall into serious disrepair sends a message of disrespect and a lack of value of the disability community, and of the FDR Memorial overall.

5. Use of the lands in and around the FDR Memorial should be considered for educational purposes such as an enhanced visitor center; and flexible uses of the land to further the interpretation of the legacy of FDR, Eleanor, their era and current day applications.

6. Engagement of DC "homegrown talent" through involvement of DC's public university - the University of the District of Columbia - in opportunities such as internships, apprenticeships, training, and educational partnerships throughout the life of the Tidal Basin project.

The Tidal Basin Ideas Lab has released for public exhibition the proposals to address the pressing need for repairs and improvements from five leading landscape architecture firms:

• DLANDstudio
• GGN
• Hood Design Studio
• James Corner Field Operations
• Reed Hilderbrand

The FDR Committee is calling on the disability community and other audiences that may have been left off from the initial stakeholder conversations to review these proposals and provide feedback as the first step in making our voice heard. (Note: The Ideas Lab proposals were exhibited in 2020. The National Park Service began reconstructing the Tidal Basin seawalls in 2024.)

FDR Memorial Legacy Committee

The FDR Committee brings together historians, disability and civil rights advocates, artists, academics, leaders in government, business, and non-profits, and interested people from across the country.

The FDR Committee operates independently under the non-profit status of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), which serves as a fiscal sponsor.

Memorial Dedicated to FDR's Disability Will Feature Personal Tributes to People with Disabilities : Sculpture of President Franklin D. Roosevelt greeting a young girl who is also disabled, will be the first memorial dedicated to FDR disability.

Frequently Asked Questions

NOTE: Researched FAQs by Disabled World (DW)

What was the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab?

The Tidal Basin Ideas Lab was a planning initiative launched in 2019 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation together with the National Park Service and the Trust for the National Mall. It invited five landscape architecture firms to imagine long-term solutions for the Tidal Basin and its memorials, and their proposals were shown to the public in 2020.

Why does the Tidal Basin flood?

The seawalls around the Tidal Basin were built more than a century ago on soft fill and have slowly sunk, while water levels in the Potomac River have risen. At high tide, water regularly spills over the walkways, damaging cherry tree roots and creating wet, uneven paths that are difficult for wheelchair users and other visitors.

Is the Tidal Basin seawall being repaired?

Yes. The National Park Service began a major reconstruction of the seawalls around the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park in 2024, a multi-year project that raises the walls and rebuilds the walkways to reduce daily flooding.

Who designed the FDR Memorial?

The Memorial was designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and dedicated in 1997. It covers about 7.5 acres and is arranged as four outdoor rooms, one for each of Franklin Roosevelt's terms in office, with sculpture, waterfalls and carved quotations.

When was the statue of FDR in a wheelchair unveiled?

The bronze statue showing Roosevelt seated in a wheelchair was unveiled in January 2001 in the new entrance area known as the Prologue room. It is modeled on the simple wooden chair with small wheels that Roosevelt designed and used himself.

What role did the National Organization on Disability play?

The National Organization on Disability led much of the national campaign in the 1990s urging Congress and the Memorial's planners to show Roosevelt's disability openly. Its efforts, backed by disability advocates and many historians, helped lead Congress to approve the addition of the wheelchair statue.

Why did FDR hide his disability from the public?

Roosevelt was paralyzed from the waist down after an illness in 1921, believed at the time to be polio, at age 39. In an era with strong stigma against disability, he and his staff avoided showing him in a wheelchair, and the press largely went along, so only a few photographs of him using one are known to exist.

What is the National Council on Independent Living?

The National Council on Independent Living, founded in 1982, is a national cross-disability organization run by and for people with disabilities. It represents Centers for Independent Living and advocates for civil rights, community living and full inclusion of disabled people in society.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: The FDR Memorial is one of the few national monuments where disability is part of the story being told, yet that recognition only came after advocates pushed back against a design that hid Roosevelt's wheelchair. The committee's message to Tidal Basin planners carries that history forward: accessibility cannot be bolted on after the fact, and the people who rely on ramps, smooth paths, tactile information and clear sightlines should be at the table before designs are chosen. With roughly 2.5 million visitors a year and long-running problems with flooding and worn infrastructure around the basin, the choices made now will decide whether wheelchair users, older visitors and school groups can fully experience the site for decades to come. Bringing in local residents, educators and a DC public university also points to a wider idea of who a national memorial is for and who should help shape it.*

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally issued as a press release by FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee) and published on 29 Oct 2020. Last updated on 11 Nov 2026. This content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.

* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.