Americans with Disabilities Act 25th Anniversary Timeline - Disability & Employment

Independent Living Movement

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1972

Ed Roberts and other University of California, Berkeley, students found the Berkeley Center for Independent Living. The concept—an advocacy and service organization governed by and for people with disabilities—is revolutionary at the time. Related are efforts by other groups to protest President Richard Nixon’s veto of early versions of the Rehabilitation Act. Together, these actions garner national attention around issues facing people with disabilities, including employment and employment supports, including transportation.

Governor Jerry Brown swears Ed Roberts in as director of the California Department of Rehabilitation in 1975. — Oakland, California, Metropolitan Transportation Commission