The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum  and the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site present “FDR’s Disability: A True Story” with Dr. Shelby Landmark,  Wednesday, February 18 at 2 p.m.

In-person: Henry A. Wallace Center at the  FDR Presidential Library and Home

In-person registration: fdrlibrary.org 

Online: Streamed live to the official FDR Library YouTube and Facebook accounts

HYDE PARK, NY — The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site present “FDR’s Disability: A True Story” with Dr. Shelby Landmark on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. The event will be held in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home and streamed live to the official FDR Library YouTube and Facebook accounts. This is a free public event, but registration is required to attend in-person. Visit fdrlibrary.org to register.

Presentation synopsis:

While Franklin D. Roosevelt is one of the most recognizably disabled historical figures, his disability is most commonly represented in ways that imply he hid the truth of his paralysis from the public after contracting polio in the summer of 1921. Dr. Shelby Landmark’s ongoing research has revealed that the public frequently observed FDR using leg braces, crutches, canes, customized speaker stands, ramps, elevators, and even automobiles to navigate his surroundings. Rather than trying to deceive or  convince the public that he was able-bodied, he wanted the public to see him as an able leader, not a “helpless invalid.” Dr. Landmark will share this research including never-before-published images of FDR and his use of mobility aids, newspaper archival examples, and archival materials found at the FDR Presidential Library.

Dr. Shelby Landmark is the Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow for Disability Representation at Historic Sites located at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Sites. Her research has informed new interpretations of FDR’s disability as well as revised existing interpretive programs. In 2025, she opened an exhibit at the site focusing on FDR’s use of mobility devices. Her work has challenged predominant narratives about FDR’s paralysis and led to a more nuanced and accurate understanding of his legacy as an important disabled historical figure.

Please contact Cliff Laube at 845/486-7745 with questions about the event.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Designed by Franklin Roosevelt and dedicated on June 30, 1941, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is the nation's first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president. Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration since 1941, the Library preserves and makes accessible to the American people the records of FDR's presidency.

The Roosevelt Library's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of the lives and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their continuing impact on contemporary life. This work is carried out through the Library's archives and research room, museum collections and exhibitions, innovative educational programs, and engaging public programming. 

For more information about the Library or its programs call (800) 337-8474 or visit www.fdrlibrary.org.