News & Events

• Jul - 31 - 2024

The FDR Committee has won a prestigious Best of Short designation from The Best Shorts Film Competition. The award was given for FDR’s compelling series, “FDR: Great Abilities,” that sheds light on how Americans with disabilities successfully advocated for the inclusion of a wheelchair statue at the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC, demonstrating to the world what true leadership looks like.

• May - 01 - 2024

Now Showing: FDR: Great Abilities. The 20-minute educational documentary short highlights how Americans with disabilities changed a presidential memorial to show the world what real leadership looks like.

• Mar - 12 - 2024

In the spirit of commemorating Franklin D. Roosevelt's enduring legacy, the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee is proud to reflect on the remarkable achievements and milestones of 2023. From preserving historical sites to advancing initiatives that echo Roosevelt's vision, the past year has been filled with impactful endeavors that continue to resonate with generations.

• Sep - 05 - 2023

National Park Service Must Address All Impacts and Alternatives Before Starting Tidal Basin Seawall Project. As well documented, the FDR Committee has expressed its concern for the project. This letter seeks to enumerate once again those concerns in consideration of the potential violations of the National Environmental Protection Act (“NEPA”) and Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”).

• Jun - 02 - 2023

June 1, 2023, FDR Memorial Legacy Committee testified to the National Capital Planning Commission regarding the ongoing concern with the proposed plan to rehabilitate the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park seawalls. 

• Mar - 29 - 2023

After receiving funding to identify best practices to bring nonprofit organizations to the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational stability or maturity, the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee) is sharing their findings titled Making Collaborative Relationships Work so charitable organizations can be more effective and efficient in advancing their missions.

• Mar - 24 - 2023

In February, FDR education consultant Rosalie Boone, Ed.D., co-founder and executive director Mary E. Dolan, M.A., M.A. and board of directors member Arlene King-Berry, J.D. presented at the LDA’s 60th Annual International Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

• Dec - 22 - 2022

We are pleased to announce that undergraduate students Tewelde Semere and Derrick Simms have been awarded the Michael Reeves Deland Internship for the 2022-2023 school year.

• Sep - 28 - 2022

The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee was proud to present some of the leading voices in inclusion, accessibility, memorials, and art. Veteran WTOP News reporter Kristi King will moderate the discussion.

• Sep - 12 - 2022
• Mary E. Doland, Co-Founder and Executive Director

The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee) appreciates the opportunity to provide a public comment on the project - Rehabilitate Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park Seawall Environmental Assessment.

• Aug - 24 - 2022

FDR Memorial Legacy Committee Awarded $215K in Grants to Expand K-12 Education Programs

• Aug - 10 - 2022

FDR Memorial 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book of our Anniversary events from May 10th and 11th.

• Jul - 27 - 2022

The FDR Committee marked the 32nd Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act with the release of the 2022 Progress Report on Accessibility at the FDR Memorial.

• May - 11 - 2022

The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the FDR Memorial as a pioneer in bringing truth and authenticity to history.

• Apr - 27 - 2022

Disabled leaders won the historic fight to add the life-sized, free-standing statue of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a wheelchair to the FDR Memorial. The FDR Committee hosted a release of this one-of-a-kind lesson plan series targeted at middle and high school students focused on Washingtonians with disabilities who have advanced the rights of disabled persons and ensured disability representation at the FDR Memorial.

• Mar - 15 - 2022

The Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation pledges a two-year matching gift challenge of $200,000 for 2022. 

• Feb - 01 - 2022

Students from Browne Education Campus, located in Ward 5 in Washington, D.C., joined the FDR Committee to celebrate the 140th birthday of FDR with two wreath-laying ceremonies at the FDR Memorial. 

• Jan - 21 - 2022

The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee) announced its inaugural Board of Directors and Board Officers following its Board meeting on January 20, 2022.

• Dec - 15 - 2021

Throughout 2021, our programming successfully fulfilled each piece of our mission delivering multiple events both virtually and in person, webinars, educational opportunities, a first-of-its-kind archive, a report on accessibility challenges at the FDR Memorial, and much more.

• Oct - 21 - 2021

FDR MEMORIAL LEGACY COMMITTEE RECEIVES $15K EDUCATIONAL GRANT FROM HUMANITIESDC Lesson Plans Will Share Untold, Historically Significant Stories of DC Disabled Leaders Who Secured Representation

• Oct - 11 - 2021

The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee) hosted a celebration to commemorate the 137th birthday of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt with a wreath-laying ceremony at the FDR Memorial in ...

• Sep - 27 - 2021

To inspire further philanthropic support from other donors who also are passionate about the mission of the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee), the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation committed to providing $210,000 as a donation match gift. The FDR Committee met the first goal of raising $100,000 by May 2020 through large and small contributions and received the Foundation's matching funds.  The remaining $110,000 was raised by July 31, 2021, and matched by the Gund Foundation. 

• Jul - 27 - 2021
• Andrew Pulrang

Annual celebrations of the Americans with Disabilities Act do more than honor the tireless advocacy and signature achievement of yesterday’s the disability community. At their best, ADA observances call attention to work still to be done, and the ever-renewing and strengthening disability community who will take over from those who came before. This Monday, Sen Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and other officials and disabled activists gathered at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC, for a wreath-laying event to honor disability activism, and reflect on the progress and unfinished business of disability rights.

• Jun - 29 - 2021

Today the National Disability Leadership Alliance (NDLA) and allied organizations, call on the National Park Service (NPS) to implement recommendations set forth in the recent report completed by Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch regarding accessibility at the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC. NDLA sets a deadline of May 2, 2022, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the FDR Memorial.

• May - 21 - 2021

On Thursday, May 20, 2021, the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee released a report on the lack of accessibility at the FDR Memorial. The report, completed by Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch, founder of MuseumSenses, outlines the deficiencies ranging from the inaccurate Braille that has been a topic of conversation since 1997 (as seen in this Washington Post article) to the safety concerns with removable stanchions around the once beautiful fountains. The FDR Committee is dedicated to the full inclusion at the Memorial and press for long-overdue accessibility improvements. And we strive to ensure that the Memorial itself is preserved for future generations.

• May - 21 - 2021

A disabled president’s memorial still isn’t fully accessible to disabled visitors, a new report finds

• May - 21 - 2021

Here you will find the recording of our event titled Accessibility is NOT Optional. On Thursday, May 20, 2021, the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee released a report on the lack of accessibility at the FDR Memorial. The report, completed by Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch, founder of MuseumSenses, outlines the deficiencies ranging from the inaccurate Braille that has been a topic of conversation since 1997 to the safety concerns with removable stanchions around the once beautiful fountains.

• Apr - 30 - 2021

Recording: Online Talk with John Sears titled Eleanor Roosevelt and the Drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

• Apr - 15 - 2021

On April 12, 2021, the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee hosted Cocktails & Conversations: a virtual discussion about the Oscar-nominated film Crip Camp. The event featured Judy Heumann, International Disability Rights Advocate who was featured in Crip Camp and Andraea LaVant, Crip Camp Impact Producer. We were joined by panelists Mary Dolan, Meg O'Connell, and Serena Jaros.

• Mar - 02 - 2021

It’s been 20 years since disability advocates won the fight to have the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. depict the former president in a wheelchair at the site. But they say there is more work to do to make the space fully accessible to all people with disabilities and serve as the “monument to freedom” that former President Bill Clinton said it would be upon the statue’s dedication.

• Feb - 10 - 2021

This letter responds to the call for public comments to the five designs released in October 2020.  It is concerning that the project started with a lack of inclusion in the process and is now presenting alarming images to the public of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Rev. Martin Luther King Memorials.  Both are shown underwater.  FDR is allowed – in the words of the designer “to become a ruin”. 

• Jan - 27 - 2021

On Tuesday, January 26, 2021, the Institute of Politics, Policy, and History at the University of the District of Columbia and the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee hosted the virtual panel discussion titled Representation and Leadership: FDR and the FDR Memorial. 

• Jan - 15 - 2021

The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee), as part of the DC Community Heritage Project (DCCHP), proudly unveiled the initial archives chronicling the history of the fight for disability representation at the FDR Memorial which was led by people with disabilities from 1995-2001.

• Jan - 12 - 2021
• Kelly Douglas

On Thursday, January 14 at 3 p.m. EST, the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee, as part of the DC Community Heritage Project (DCCHP), will unveil a first-of-its-kind archive that preserves this invaluable history filled with individual perspectives, stories, and written documentation of this hard-fought campaign for inclusion.

• Jan - 01 - 2021

Thank you to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for continuing to put pressure on the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation to spend previously allocated funds on critical education programs on the FDR Memorial.  "Despite an agreement with the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission (Commission), it is my understanding that the National Park Foundation (NPF) has never spent any of the income from the FDR Memorial Endowment Fund (Endowment) on public education, as authorized."

• Oct - 29 - 2020

Over twenty years ago, a young 6th grader from Lindbergh Elementary School in Palisades Park, New Jersey, committed to a campaign for change. When the FDR Memorial opened in 1997, FDR’s disability was hidden. Disability leaders fought back and demanded truth and representation. Sixteen Roosevelt grandchildren agreed that FDR should be shown as the person he was – a person with a disability. And over 50 disability organizations from across the country signed on to support the FDR Wheelchair Statue Campaign.

• Oct - 26 - 2020

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.

• Oct - 13 - 2020
• Mary Dolan, Executive Director, FDR Memorial Legacy Committee

The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee) is pleased to announce the addition of two new Advisory Committee members, U.S Senator Tom Harkin (Retired) and Serena Jaros, COVID Services Coordinator at Independence Now. 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 is not forgotten and, as initially intended, becomes part of the Memorial’s educational materials, visitor information, and collective memory. 

• Sep - 11 - 2020
• FDR Legacy Committee

When the Memorial was dedicated in 1997, FDR's disability was hidden. This changed in 2001 when the disability community prevailed and a statue of FDR seated in a wheelchair was added. Now 20 years later, the Memorial remains an epicenter that embodies the power and pride of the disability community; however, there is no information about the epic fight led by people with disabilities. Our history is missing. And to make matters worse, the Memorial needs accessibility improvements and is in need of major repairs. 

• Aug - 03 - 2020

The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (the FDR Committee) has received a $5,000 DC Community Heritage Project (DCCHP) grant to preserve the history of the disability community, the history of a presidential memorial, and the history of Washingtonian activist citizens.

• Jul - 26 - 2020
• FDR Memorial Legacy Committee

As we approach the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) on July 26th, it is important to acknowledge those who influenced change in the disability community. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, without a doubt, is one of those iconic leaders whose impact should continue to be applauded. Therefore, the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee was established. Our mission is to promote FDR’s and Eleanor Roosevelt’s legacy of equality, opportunity, dignity, and perseverance as celebrated at the Memorial through education, awareness, and protection of the Memorial for generations to come.

• Jul - 06 - 2020
• FDR Memorial Legacy Committee

WASHINGTON, DC (July 6, 2020) – Every year, nearly 2.5 million people visit the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC, which was dedicated in 1997 to pay tribute to our longest-serving president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Visitors now experience a seamlessly constructed memorial; however, representation of FDR’s disability was not included in the initial design. The first room – Prologue – was not added until four years after the initial opening of the Memorial.

• Jun - 08 - 2020
• FDR Memorial Legacy Committee

We have all witnessed a lifetime of images over the past few weeks. Some uplifting, but way too many troublesome and for too long. For our democracy to last, we citizens – all of us – must feel safe in our homes, our streets and in practicing our right to protest peacefully. Our country was founded on protests which led us to declare our collective American belief in “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We have never fully achieved this.