Q&A: The Father of the Independent Living Movement

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icon "Disability Q&A"Disability Network Southwest Michigan is pleased to bring you Disability Q & A to test your knowledge of disability-related topics. We post questions on Facebook and provide a link for you to check the answer and learn more about each topic.

Q: What disability rights activist became known as “the Father of the Independent Living Movement”?
A: Ed Roberts

Ed Roberts (1935-1999) was an international leader and educator in the independent living and disability rights movements. He fought throughout his life to enable all persons with disabilities to fully participate in society. Ed was a founder of the University of California Berkley’s Physically Disabled Students Program, which became the model for Berkeley’s Center for Independent Living (CIL) and over 400 other independent living centers across the country. Ed was the first California State Director of Rehabilitation with a disability; he was awarded a MacArthur fellowship; and he was co-founder and President of the World Institute on Disability.

January 23 is Ed Roberts Day.

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