Celebrate Ed Roberts Disability Rights Day

UC Berkeley may be one of the most accessible, disabled-friendly universities in the United States. Much of that is thanks to one man, Ed Roberts.

Roberts, who became a quadriplegic after contracting polio as a teenager, was admitted as a student in 1962 to the Berkeley campus. He immediately found difficulty in obtaining campus housing, however, as campus housing officials refused to accommodate the 800-lb iron lung he had to sleep in. Read more

Easily Getting In and Out of Doors in a Wheelchair

Being able to move through doors with ease, especially into and out of your own home, is crucial for any person in a wheelchair. Needing to rely on someone to open a door for you eliminates one of the most basic freedoms humans crave – the freedom to move around at will. That’s why making sure that your home is accessible and set up to allow you to get in and out of doors easily is so crucial if you’re using a wheelchair.

Luc shows how his home is set up with both an automatic front door and special handles on sliding glass doors that he, as a quadriplegic, can open easily. If you have any tips about what works for you in your home we’d love to hear what you have to share too!