Building Independence from the Ground up
The Ed Roberts Campus is a nonprofit corporation formed by seven organizations that share a common history in the Independent Living Movement of People with Disabilities.
The Center for Accessible Technology is a proud partner in the Ed
Roberts Campusexternal link (ERC). Seven agencies have joined together to plan and develop a universally
designed, transit-oriented campus located at the Ashby BART Station in
south Berkeley. The Ed Roberts Campus will become the world's foremost
disability rights service, advocacy, education, training, and policy center.
The ERC is currently under construction at the Ashby BART station, and will open in the Spring of 2010.
The ERC honors the life and work of Edward V. Roberts, an early leader
in the independent living movement. Ed believed in the strength of collaborative
efforts: He called it "working toward our preferred future”.
Our partners in the ERC are:
- Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Programexternal link
- Center for Independent Livingexternal link
- Computer Technologies Programexternal link
- Disability Rights, Education and Defense Fundexternal link
- Through the Looking Glassexternal link
- World Institute on Disabilityexternal link
The Ed Roberts Campus will also become the permanent home of the Disability Mural. The Disability Mural is a unique expression of disability, the first community artwork created by people with disabilities. Individual 12" square tiles are painted or collaged to express the artist's experience with disability. The artists are people living with disabilities as well as individuals who do not have a disability but who have experienced disability through family or friends.
The goal of the Mural is to express the range of experiences and emotions of people touched by disability. The Mural has been compared to the Names Project Quilt; however, where the Quilt is a community expression of loss and grief, the Mural is a celebration of the lives and contributions of people with disabilities. The Mural has been displayed in a variety of venues including the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco, Oakland City Hall, the Richmond Arts Center, and the Olive Hyde Gallery in Fremont. The Mural will eventually be on permanent display at the Ed Roberts Campus, which will be built at the Ashby BART station.
A short video about the Disability Mural can be seen at The Disability Mural Video (Opens a new window)