01/23/2026
Today we celebrate Ed Roberts who was born on this day in 1939. Roberts was a trailblazer who was instrumental in the Disability Rights movement and is widely recognized as the father of the Independent Living philosophy.
Roberts contracted polio at age 14 and became paralyzed from the chest down, living with significant physical disability throughout his life. Despite facing discrimination early on, including resistance from educational institutions, he forged a path that would empower thousands of people with disabilities nationwide.
His activism began at the University of California, Berkeley, where he became the first student with severe disabilities to live and study on campus. There, he formed a disability rights group dubbed the “Rolling Quads,” which advocated for accessibility and equitable treatment. This group laid the foundation for broader activism, including the Physically Disabled Students Program, an early model for disability services directed by and for people with disabilities.
In 1972, Roberts and his peers established the first Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Berkeley. Unlike traditional service agencies, this new model emphasized peer support, consumer direction, and community advocacy, asserting that individuals with disabilities are the best experts on their own needs. Roberts’s approach went beyond mere accessibility; it championed self-determination, civil rights, and integration into community life, influencing federal policy and inspiring a nationwide network of centers.
Today, that legacy lives on in places like The Independent Living Center. Founded in 1994 as a consumer-driven center serving southwest Missouri, this nonprofit organization helps individuals with disabilities achieve greater independence through services such as advocacy, peer support, information/referral, attendant programs, accessible voting support, and community transition services. Like Roberts’ original vision, the center’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that people with disabilities should control their own lives and choices.
By promoting self-advocacy and inclusion, The Independent Living Center reflects the core tenets of the Independent Living movement that Roberts pioneered, ensuring that people with disabilities can live with dignity, autonomy, and active participation in their community.
