Throughout history, wheelchair users have reshaped the way we look at disability. They have excelled in fields like art, cinema, civil rights, science, and politics. These three figures have broken physical barriers, and have proven with their key legacies that dreams can be achievable no matter the circumstance.
1. Stephen Hawking (Theoretical Physicist & Author)
Diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at age 21, Stephen Hawking only had 2 years left to live. However, he went on to live for another 55 years because due to his unusually slow progressing form of the disease. Over the years, he became one of the best theoretical physicist since Albert Einstein.
Key Legacy
Stephen Hawking formulated the theory of black hole radiation (Hawking Radiation). Furthermore, he authored A Brief History Of Time, which sold over 25 million copies worldwide.
Hawking’s high tech power chair included infrared sensors that tracked eye and cheek movement to read speech. At that time, these advanced gadgets gave the world a first impression of assistive technology.
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)
In 1921, at age 39, FDR faced an illness that was long thought of to be Polio, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite this, he went on to be one of the few presidents to be elected for four terms and led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II.
Key Legacy
Created the Warm Springs Foundation which provided rehabilitation to patients ill from Polio and spearheaded the New Deal.
FDR did everything in his power to conceal his disability. Specifically, he designed his own armless, discreet wheelchair made from a kitchen chair frame to navigate the White House more easily.
3. Frida Kahlo (Mexican Painter)
Frida Khalo faced polio and a chaotic bus accident at 18 in her youth which she shockingly survived. Consequentially, she went through dozens of surgeries and spent a lot of her time in wheelchairs and supportive plaster corsets.
Key Legacy
Frida Kahlo transformed her pain and suffering into iconic art. Additionally, her decorations of plaster body casts and self portraits took place on the custom easel right beside her bed. Today, Frida Kahlo remains an iconic symbol of artistic resilience, Mexican heritage, and disability pride.
The Two Fridas and a self portrait with a thorn necklace and hummingbird are her most famous and renowned works. These two pieces are Frida Kahlo’s most famous as they are able to fully capture her emotional and physical pain after her divorce with Diego Rivera. Through symbolism like bleeding hearts and piercing crowned thorns, she was able to turn her relationship crisis into an iconic masterpiece.
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