Wheelchair an inspiration

Think of some of the great presidents in American history. If you are like me, one of the names that comes to mind is Abraham Lincoln. When people think of him, do they remember he was a hunchback? Would the first thing people about say about the "Great Emancipator" is that he had a funny-looking face? I doubt it. People would hail him as the man who kept a nation together and was killed while doing so.\nEarlier this week, a monument honoring Franklin Delano Roosevelt was unveiled, funded by the National Organization on Disability and other groups. Some were skeptical about the choice to show the former president in a wheelchair, mainly because he himself wanted to hide it. \nIn the end, the decision to erect the monument depicting Roosevelt in his wheelchair prevailed because organizers wanted to show him as he was. If they had hidden the wheelchair, they would imply that having a disability is something deserving shame and secrecy. It's time we publicly acknowledge that Roosevelt had a disability. Hiding history is a disservice and an insult to anyone who wants the truth.\nAnother major reason the monument depicts Roosevelt in his wheelchair was because disabled rights activists agreed if people saw a monument of a president in a wheelchair, they might not be ashamed of their own disabilities.\nEveryone has challenges and hurdles to cross. Heroes are the people who get past them, and they should be remembered for it.\nFurthermore, people don't buy into the "perfect politician" anymore. \nOver and over, we see politicians trying to make themselves out to be "men of the people."\nTimes have changed. Minorities, women and people with disabilities are serving in public office, like Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, who is in a wheelchair after losing both legs and an arm in the Vietnam War. \nIf Lincoln were running again, his looks might prevent him from being elected. The reality is that TV has changed politics and, unfortunately, appearances matter. But when past presidents held office, looks were not as important as policy choices and public speaking skills. The media protected the president. \nRoosevelt chose to hide his condition as much as possible because he didn't want to show signs of weakness. But the fact remains that he was in office for 12 years and spent much of that time in a wheelchair. \nThat monument is not for FDR. It's for everyone who didn't know him but have been influenced by his achievements during the Great Depression and World War II. He led the country through some of its toughest times, from a wheelchair. \nWhat he accomplished is a testament to the human spirit, wheelchair or not.