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The Ed Roberts Campus

Listen 28 min

After 15 years of planning, seven disability movement organizations have opened an 80,000 sq ft building at a major Berkeley transit hub, the Ed Roberts Campus.photo of large group at groundbreaking ceremony

A little history. In the early 70’s, Ed Roberts was a quadriplegic living in the Cowell Hospital and studying at the University of Berkeley. Change and liberation was in the air, so it didn’t take long for Ed and some other students with disabilities to decide that they didn’t need nurses. They could live independently with attendants. They formed a group called the Rolling Quads which morphed into the next group, which morphed and changed and morphed and started the Center for Independent Living and, in the meantime—the modern independent living movement was born. And that’s not the end of the story.

People with disabilities started other organizations, projects and groups. When seven of these groups got together to dream about a building to house all their organizations they dreamed of a place to share amenities like meeting rooms; centers for computers, child development and fitness; a theater and café. And, since those who used the building would be mostly people with disabilities, it had to be near a major public transit hub. No one doubted the dream would come with a high price tag.

photo of building

The organizations are Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP), Center for Accessible Technology (CforAT), Center for Independent Living (CIL), Computer Technologies Program (CTP), Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), Through the Looking Glass (TLG), and World Institute on Disability (WID).

Dmetri Belser came to KPFA's studio to talk about it. Dmetri is the executive director of The Center for Accessible Technology. The buck stopped with him in the fundraising and construction phase.

Raphaella Bennin went over to the Campus to talk to people who use the new facility including Reba Knickerbocker, Julie Fuller, Miley George, Saraswathi Devi, Leslie Simon, and Peter Sussman.

Photo of Dmetri Belser

Eddie Ytuarte and Adrienne Lauby host.

Laura Hershey

Disability, Women’s Rights Advocate, Poet, Writer and Proud Mother Dies Unexpectedly November 26th After Brief Illness – Death Stuns and Saddens Thousands Who Followed Her Work and Advocacy Across Nation –Known for Her Poetry & Writings Including “You Get Proud By Practicing”/

Photo of Robin Stephens and Laura Hershey in front of magnificant canyon, courtesy Ken Stein

What the heck is going on at KPFA?

Pushing Limits' Members answer:

picture of Super Magawatt Grover

Eddie Ytuarte (3:34)
Adrienne Lauby (4:38)
Super Megawatt Grover* (3:39)
Mary Ratcliff, Editor of Bay View Newspaper (20-30 min interview by Kate Raphael on KPFA's Women's Magazine.

The world is in a terrible place and desperately needs the ideas, the energy, the enthusiasm, the positive spirit of the people who are on the bottom, who are fighting to rise to the top. That's where the energy is, where the ideas are, that passion needs to be heard on KPFA every hour of every day. And, there are so many people who are dying to be heard on KPFA, dying, literally dying, to be heard and can't get on the station as it is currently prioritized.
- Mary Ratcliff on KPFA's Women's Magazine, 11-22-10

*aka Shelley Berman

Rants, Stories and Lies #3

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Short opinions, satire, interviews and commentaries from the disability community.

Guests: Bruce Allison, S.F. city hall reporter for POOR News Network  and author of “You’re Retarded; You’ll Never Amount to Anything”;

Photo: Bruce Allison makes a banner for a street protest.
Jon Reed on the left.

Randall Wright, of Berkeley’s Fourth Friday Disability Night Out on how visibility combats discrimination;

Two members of the Sacramento addiction
& recovery community, Hurley Merical,
Executive Director of Oak Park Outreach
& MedMark Treatment Center and
Starvel Junious of Core Medical Clinic.

Eddie Ytuarte, Adrienne Lauby and Shelley Berman of the Pushing Limits Collective with personal opinions on current problems at KPFA.

Shelley Berman hosts.

Original air date: 10-17-10

Biking While Blind

Photograph of Bobby McMullen and guide biking (courtesy of Poison Oak Productions)

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After countless broken bones, a double organ transplant and sight loss, Bobby McMullen doesn't just ride his bike; this daredevil is a human cliffhanger.

He joins Pushing Limits hosts, Raphaella Bennin and Leah Gardner to talk about his life and the documentary based on his mountain biking exploits, The Way Bobby Sees It.

It’s blind biking, so hold onto your chairs; we're in for a bumpy ride.
Original air date: 1-5-10

Beyond the IEP

(Individualized Educational Program)

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Cynthia Molina and Christine Zimmerman, mother-advocates for students with disabilities in Oakland's Programs for Exceptional Children talks with cohosts Eddie Ytuarte and Leah Gardner. What is it in the institutional culture that helps students succeed beyond the Independent Educational Program.

With a commentary by Shelley Berman on the upcoming elections.

KPFA

Photo: Three young children face a teacher with her hands up, palms out.
Their faces reflect excitement, withdrawal & caution.
Courtesy Furman University Libraries, Special Education Resources.

Original air date: 10-29-10