Photo: Lydia Gans

Ed Roberts

The Father of Independent Living

In 1953, Roberts was paralyzed from the neck down after contracting polio at the age of 14. He was instrumental in the success of the first Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Berkeley, CA, in the early 1970’s, which became a model for CIL’s across the country.  The California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (CDVR) and the University of California at Berkeley considered his disability too severe when he applied for college. After a fight, he was allowed in, but the dorms were not accessible and they made him reside in the health center with his 800 pound iron lung.While at Berkeley, he formed “The Rolling Quads,” the first group to advocate for better accessibility and support services on campus and the Disabled Students Program.  He earned Bachelor and Master Degrees in Political Science. In 1976, Roberts was appointed Director of CDVR. He left in 1983 and co-founded the World Institute on Disability. Roberts passed away in 1995. Each January 23 is “Ed Roberts’ Day.”

www.wid.org

Photo: Tom Olin

Justin Dart, Jr.

Father of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 1990 

Dart was an international human rights activist and a leader of the disability rights movement. In 1948 he contracted polio just before entering the University of Houston where he earned Bachelor Degrees in History and Education in 1954. There he organized his first human rights group for integration. Despite his desire to teach, the University withheld his teaching certification because of his disability. In 1975, after nearly two decades of advocating around the world he and his wife Yoshiko decided to dedicate their lives to human and disability rights. From 1980 to 1985, Dart was involved with the Texas Governor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities.  This work led him to organize a grassroots effort to keep fighting for a victory.Dart was the recipient of five presidential appointments and numerous honors. He was at the podium on the White House lawn when President George H. Bush signed the ADA into law July 26, 1990. Also in 1990, he helped pass the Individuals with Education Disabilities Act (IDEA). Dart passed away in 2002.

www.ada.gov

Photo: Tom Olin

Wade Blank

A Founding Father of ADAPT

In 1971, Blank began his work in the Heritage House nursing home in Denver, Colorado developing a new hip youth wing. He added a work program and social activities that were unheard of in an institution. Eventually, he suggested moving them on their own and was fired. In 1983, Blank created the Atlantis Community to liberate people with disabilities from nursing homes and the organization American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (ADAPT) which took on discrimination such as in the nation’s bus systems. ADAPT used non-violent, direct-action tactics with bold demands which achieved extraordinary results. Blank found leadership qualities in people who had never been thought of as leaders: former nursing home residents, people with speech impediments and people considered not equal in society. In 1991, ADAPT became American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today and changed their focus to community supports for people with disabilities. Blank died in 1993. 

www.adapt.org

 Photo: Colleen Starkloff

Max J. Starkloff 

National Council for Independent Living (NCIL) Co-Founder 

Starkloff, a Missouri native, was instrumental in the Independent Living Movement. In 1959, at the age of 21, he was involved in an automobile accident that broke his neck. The physical and financial strain associated with his care became overwhelming and the only option for his family was to move him into a nursing home. For 12 years, he fought for control of his own care and independence as he envisioned a more fulfilling life with a family of his own. As a result, in 1970 he co-founded Paraquad, the first CIL in Missouri, to help people with disabilities remain at home, find jobs and live independently. In 1982, Starkloff co-founded and became the first President of NCIL. In 2003, he formed the Starkloff Disability Institute in St. Louis. He served people with disabilities by inspiring and developing a strong and expansive network of grassroots advocates for change. Starkloff passed away in 2010.

www.starkloff.org, www.ncil.org

Photo: Tom Olin

Linda Gonzales 

Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL)

Gonzales began her 30 year career as a peer counselor working at a Center for Independent Living (CIL) in California.  She moved to New Mexico and became a director at the Santa Fe CIL.  As a person with muscular dystrophy and experience with rural areas, she discovered the need for programs and services continued to grow. In 1986, Gonzales was a founding board member and later the Executive Director of APRIL; an organization that recognizes and addresses the challenges people with disabilities have living in rural communities. She became nationally known for bringing the disability perspective into rural policy development and leading APRIL in peer mentoring programs, involving youth with disabilities and bringing transportation options to rural communities. She won the President’s Award of the National Council On Independent Living, and was invited to the White House to meet with President Bill Clinton.

www.april-rural.org

Photo: Paraquad

Jim Tuscher 

Missouri Legislative Advocate

Tuscher had a passion for disability rights and a desire to create change. He was a veteran, teacher and role model. He was a strong advocate and peer mentor for people with disabilities after becoming paralyzed due to a spinal tumor during his mid-20’s. In 1979, he joined Paraquad and dedicated his work to establishing the right of people with disabilities to have productive and meaningful lives as well as personal freedom with access to appropriate health care. Tuscher was instrumental in securing funding for Centers for Independent Living in Missouri and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. He helped create legislation for public schooling, crime prevention, health care, assistive technology and welfare reform to ensure people with disabilities have access to independence as stated in the Olmstead v. L.C. Decision of 1999. He lobbied for consumer-controlled personal care programs and helped create absentee voting laws. He passed away in 2011.

www.paraquad.org