All the Way to Freedom NOW!
Photo description of All the Way to Freedom, a life-sized sculpture molding of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, that portrays her reenactment of the Capitol Crawl. On the left of the sculpture is a wheelchair wheel and to the right is a step. A gold chain is draped across her body. The sculpture is a gold and bronze color with streaks of blue highlights surrounding the figure.
“All the Way to Freedom” The story behind the Art
On March 12, 1990, I climbed out of my wheelchair and from the bottom of the steps of the US Capitol, I crawled up the 84 steps in a physical demonstration to tell Congress to stop stalling and pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. The “Capitol Crawl” as it would come to be known, was a visual demonstration for Congress and the world, to show them what it was like for people with disabilities to be denied access to all aspects of American life. I was eight years old when I participated in this event along with 68 or more of my fellow participants with disabilities and together, we made the climb, sending a message to Congress, that we had waited long enough and would wait no more.
I felt compelled by both anger and empowerment. I felt angry because I knew that while I had the same civil and human rights as every other American, I had already experienced what it was like to be excluded because of my disability and I was determined to reach the top and make sure that Congress understood this, and I felt empowered and proud to be a part of a community who understood the importance of what we were demonstrating that day, because they too had experienced the same discrimination that I had experienced and we were not going to wait any longer and I was proud to be a part of something that I knew would be very important to everyone.
“All the Way to Freedom” Now
34 years later, I often feel like I am still “climbing those steps”, and the symbolic artistic expression conveyed in “All the Way to Freedom” for me, not only conveys the accomplishments that we have made over the past three decades but also represents the physical barriers and ableism that we still encounter today.
I wanted All the Way to Freedom to be a powerful and uplifting symbol of the accomplishments that we have all made together in unity, that would not only be used as an educational tool about the ADA and the “Capitol Crawl”, but that it also shows that there is still more work to be done.
It was important to me that we use authentic representation within the molding process. For example:
The step on the right side of the sculpture represents the steps of the Capitol and the physical barriers that we still encounter. The “wheel” on the left side, is actually from my ETAC manual wheelchair. I wanted to make sure that the wheel was correct and showed the rim. I also wanted my leg braces to come through as I knew children who wear AFO’s would know exactly what I was wearing. And just like our purpose for the ADA, I wanted all people with and without disabilities to be able to see or feel themselves represented in some way. The chain represents that we are still being held down by both physical and attitudinal barriers created not by the disability, but societies negative perceptions of disability; and I am still climbing those steps despite the passage of the ADA 34 years later.
34 years ago, disability rights groups representing every disability, old and young, representing all backgrounds and religions, came together for a common purpose, to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. We discovered that despite our differences in how we view our disability or what form or action our disability advocacy takes, we are a powerful community! 34 years later we need to join together again- to save our democracy and support all civil rights laws and preserve the ADA. This is why our work is not finished. And why we must continue to work together.
“Change Occurs when we continue to SPEAK UP and SPEAK OUT together.”
Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins
Photo description: A young woman in a stander wheelchair, wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans, looking to her right at a life-sized sculpture molding of her body, that portrays her reenactment of the capitol crawl. On the left of the sculpture is a wheelchair wheel and to the right is a step. A gold chain is draped across her body. The sculpture color is gold and bronze with steaks of blue highlights surrounding the figure.
“All the Way to Freedom” is a unique and powerful sculpture created by renowned artist Gina Vernon and molded directly from Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins. It is a commemorative sculpture of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Capitol Crawl. It celebrates the accomplishments we’ve made, but also recognizes the work that we still need to do.
Please check out Gina’s website at : ginavernonart.com to learn more about the art and to purchase commemorative All the Way to Freedom merchandise.