FDR and Polio - Advocate

Unlike his predecessors, FDR was one of the first American leaders who tried to address the needs of the nation's disabled. But his legislative accomplishments in this field were limited by the prevailing negative attitudes of the period toward the handicapped. Nevertheless, the principles he set forth in seeking the legislation were bold. In 1929, for example, as Governor of New York State, Roosevelt said "I conceive it to be the duty of the state to give the same care to removing the physical handicaps of its citizens as it now gives to their mental development." At the beginning of World War II, FDR proposed the creation of a unified federal rehabilitation program that would cover not only veterans, but also the larger civilian population. "We are going to win this war," he said in presenting the proposal to Congress, "but the winning will require

the best efforts of every individual. Among those who are already making full contributions are those physically handicapped people who have been rehabilitated. Upwards of a million people are now waiting for the services of the type that only a fully developed rehabilitation program can give them. We know that there is nothing wrong with the spirit of these people, but without special assistance they may become a social as well as an economic liability. With an adequate program in their behalf they will become a national asset ready to serve in war industries, agriculture, and in other essential occupations." FDR's legislation met considerable opposition in Congress, but eventually a modified version of the Bill he proposed was passed.

FDR also made a great contribution to the medical efforts to conquer polio. In 1934, FDR's close friend Basil O'Connor began raising funds for the treatment of polio by organizing fund raising dances each year in honor of the President's Birthday. The first "Birthday Ball" raised over $1 million dollars. FDR then urged O'Connor to found The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which by 1938 became known as "The March of Dimes."

The March of Dimes was the first successful partnership between public volunteers and scientists organized in a drive to find a cure for a devastating disease. The March of Dimes raised funds to provide better medical care and treatment facilities for polio sufferers throughout the United States. Most significant of all, through the work of thousands of ordinary Americans inspired by Roosevelt's initiative, the March of Dimes provided the millions of dollars needed to fund the long, difficult, and ultimately successful search for a polio cure. On April 12, 1955, on the tenth anniversary of FDR's death, Dr. Jonas Salk announced that a polio vaccine he had developed was now ready for use by the general public. Five years later, Dr. Albert Sabin announced the development of the oral vaccine. FDR's leadership in the establishment of the Warm Springs Foundation and the creation of the March of Dimes had finally triumphed over the disease that he himself had struggled with for half of his adult life.

fdr's legacy