07/31/2026
In July we celebrate Ed Roberts, the activist who refused to accept that people with disabilities should be shut away. After being denied admission to college because administrators said he was "too disabled," he fought his way in, became a leader, and co-founded the Center for Independent Living. His vision that people with disabilities should control their own lives became the backbone of the independent living movement and helped pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). His legacy lives on every time a ramp, a curb cut, or an accessible door makes the world a little more accessible.