People

Despite their disabilities, these notable Americans overcame adversity and went on to achieve great success in government, art, entertainment, education, civil rights and activism. The Library of Congress encourages the continued research into the history and future of persons with disabilities as great contributors to American collection of knowledge and creativity.

Find out more about these individuals (PDF, 1.3Mb)

Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
(1847-1922)
Learning Disability		 Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
(b. 1927)
Dyslexia		 Ray Charles
Ray Charles
(1930-2004)
Blind from Glaucoma
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
(1847-1931)
Almost Deaf, Possibly
from Scarlet Fever		 José Feliciano
José Feliciano
(b.1945)
Blind since Birth		 Jerome Solon Felder “Doc Pomus”
Jerome Solon Felder
“Doc Pomus” (1925-1991)
Polio
Daniel Inouye
Daniel Inouye (b. 1924)
Lost Arm in World War II		 William Ellsworth Hoy
William Ellsworth Hoy
(1862-1961)
Deaf from Meningitis		 Barbara Jordan
Barbara Jordan (1936-1996)
Multiple Sclerosis
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo
(1907-1954)
Childhood Polio,
Street Car Accident		 Helen Keller
Helen Keller
(1880-1968)
Deaf and Blind		 Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange
(1895-1965)
Polio
Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde
(1934-1992)
Low Vision, Cancer		 Anne Sullivan Macy
Anne Sullivan Macy
(1866- 1936), depicted
with Alexander Graham Bell
and Helen Keller
Low Vision		 Wilma P. Mankiller
Wilma P. Mankiller
(b.1945)
Myasthenia Gravis
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(1882-1945)
Adult Onset Polio		 Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
(1820-1913)
Symptoms Consistent with
Epilepsy and Narcolepsy		 Art Tatum
Art Tatum
(1909-1956)
Blind in one eye
and nearly blind in
the other
Lennie Tristano
Lennie Tristano
(1919-1978)
Blind		    

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