Story highlights FDR memorial "rife with barriers" to disabled, suit claims

22 stairs, other issues cited by plaintiffs

(CNN) If Franklin D. Roosevelt were alive today, the former President would have trouble accessing a New York memorial built to honor him, a lawsuit says.

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island is a memorial to the man who was stricken with polio in 1921 but went on to lead America through the Great Depression and World War II -- from a wheelchair.

A class-action lawsuit filed Thursday by several advocacy groups for disabled people claims the park has numerous features that make it difficult for wheelchair users to enjoy the property.

"I am an FDR buff," plaintiff Phil Beder, who uses a wheelchair, said in a statement released by the group Disability Rights Advocates. "He's my hero. It's patently ironic that a memorial built in honor of him is rife with barriers for wheelchair users."

Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park is located on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island in New York City.

Among the park features that limit access to disabled persons, according to the suit:

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