Jeff Reinking. Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, July 24th, 2025.
Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was 2--a physical disability that affects the part of the brain that controls movement. She was left without usage of her legs, and needed to use a wheelchair. She joined many peaceful protests for disability rights with her mother, backed by full encouragement from the rest of her family, but was arrested for protesting when she was 7. The newspapers were shocked. She shocked them again when she shed her wheelchair and pulled herself up the steps of Capitol Hill with only her arms and her inhaler.
Jeff Reinking. Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, July 24th, 2025.
Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins was the only child at the Capitol Crawl. Several of the adults had actually been against her climbing the steps with them--they believed it would strengthen the stereotype that disabled people were "childlike" and "weak." However, Keelan-Chaffins made the decision to climb the steps anyway--if she hadn't, there would've been no one to represent all of the disabled children of her generation and future generations.
Bill Koplitz, US Capitol Building, East side steps and dome, August 4th, 2009. Google Images, July 24th, 2025.