Franklin D. Roosevelt was one of the most popular and longest-serving presidents in the USA, serving an historic four terms as elected president from 1933 to 1945, steering the USA out of the Great Depression and leading the country through the Second World War. In his inaugural address he coined the phrase ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself’. In 1921 he contracted poliomyelitis and thereafter was unable to walk unaided. He consciously downplayed his impairments when running for office, never allowing the public to see him being lifted into his wheelchair. He deliberately walked the 35 steps to the podium to deliver his inaugural address instead of using his wheelchair. Many biographers have portrayed him as a ‘disabled hero’ and a role model for disabled Americans because of his political achievements. John Duffy argues that Roosevelt manipulated his public image and portrayed himself as someone who was ‘sick’ rather than ‘disabled’:
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