Mary Ann is situated at the center of a living room with another friend in a wheelchair off to the right side. Mary Ann has a 35mm camera mounted to her wheelchair so the camera is just below eye level. The frame is blurred slightly, suggesting that she may have just taken or preparing to take a photo herself. The large, open space allows for two people in wheelchairs to comfortably hang out and express themselves through movement if the timing is right. In Design for Independent Living, Mary Ann reported her affinity to dance, or “motor play”, at home with friends.
The Berkeley Revolution
A digital archive of the East Bay's transformation in the late-1960s & 1970s
Mary Ann with 35mm Camera
Date: 1978
Citation:
Mary Ann Hiserman. Photograph. UC Berkeley, University Archives, 1980, Calisphere. From Disable Students Program Photograph Collection. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt7d5nc8jh.
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1. From Cowell to Crip: A Berkeley Disability Rights Overview
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25,000…But Just One Like Ed
–Fall 1962–In a watershed moment, Ed Roberts became the first student with a severe disability to attend Berkeley
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A Word on Words
–1979–In its use of the term "crip," the landmark book Design for Independent Living captures the ethos of a revolution
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Declaring Independence in Berkeley
–August 1979–A synthetic account of Berkeley's disability rights revolution, with the CIL at its center
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We Won’t Go Away (documentary film)
–1981–A British documentary crew visited Berkeley to capture the story of the disability rights movement
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Accessibility Means You Feel O.K. About Being in a Place
–1986–To legendary disabled playwright Neil Marcus, ramping was only the beginning
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2. Making the Accessible City (1968-1982)
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Architectural Barriers Act
–08/12/1968–A landmark piece of federal access legislation -- though one with big loopholes
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Selection from Hale Zukas’s Oral History
–1997–Hale Zukas recalls the first official curb cuts in Berkeley — and his role in designing them
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Hale’s Design for a Curb Ramp
–10/1/71–For Hale Zukas, building ramps out of plywood and duct tape was just the beginning
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Wheelchair Ramps 1973 Location Map
–Summer 1972–A plan, devised by Ruth Grimes and others, to make South Berkeley and downtown accessible
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Resolution 45,605
–2/13/1973–In a win for the CIL, Berkeley mandated construction on Telegraph Ave's first wheelchair-accessible route
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Rehab Act of ’73: Section 502
–9/26/1973–In response to dismal federal access compliance, U.S. government creates an enforcement board
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The People of Berkeley: A Policy
–November 1973–Berkeley Planning Commission: "Because the physically handicapped have little political power..."
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People of Berkeley: A Policy Revised
–August 1974–Planning commission changes its tune, recognizes need for a specific disability program with action-oriented goals
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The Independent Fall 1974
–Fall 1974–Four disability rights activists celebrate victory by rolling over an "official" curb cut
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First Report to the U.S. Congress
–November 1974–The newly created federal Access Board acknowledged the model of the CIL in its first report
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Wheelchair Ramp Plan for a Private Residence
–ca. 1978–To make private housing more accessible, Eric Dibner drew up ramp plans for the greater community
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Photograph of Hale Zukas
–1982–Hale, a Berkeley icon, goes to work in Washington's federal Access Board
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It’s Accessible, It’s Electric, It’s Fascinating
–1986–Phil Draper, co-founder of the Center for Independent Living, on curb cuts and the spirit of Telegraph
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The First Curb Cuts
–1990s–A disability rights artist and activist illustrates the era's lively momentum
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3. Ray Lifchez's Studio: A New Model of Architectural Design and Education
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A House for Someone Unlike Me
–1984–A fine documentary film on Lifchez and Winslow's design studio course, featuring its consultants and students
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Fixtures at Ward’s Island
–1968–An early experience that set Ray on the path of rethinking design
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Ward’s Island Aerial View
–1968–Ray Lifchez spent five years working as an architect for state institutions, like Manhattan Psychiatric Facility
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Peter Trier in the ARCH101 Studio
–1976–In the revolutionary design studio, Peter Trier helps students confront stereotypes about disability
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ARCH101 Students with Clients on Sproul
–1974-1976–On a sunny day, Ray Lifchez and students actively listen to disabled consultant's POV
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Map from Identification of Architectural Barriers
–September 1976–An environmental audit revealed that virtually all common routes on Berkeley's campus were inaccessible
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Campus Grounds Accessibility Audit
–September 1976–The 1000-page report was the first campus environmental survey of its kind
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The Interactionist Position
–1979–A clipping from a seminal text illustrates shift towards architecture as a social art
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An Advanced Studio Summer Session
–Summer 1979–In Lifchez's ARCH101, students designed accessible structures in real world settings
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Campus Access Handbook
–September 1979–A pilot edition of a campus access guide
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Getting There: A Guide to Accessibility for Your Facility
–1979–A quirky accessibility guide demonstrates human-centered design with panache
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4. Design for Independent Living: Lifchez & Winslow's Landmark Book
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Design for Independent Living
–1979–An overview of this radical design manual and ethnographic study of Berkeley's crip culture
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Portrait of Peter Trier
–1973–An advanced thinker reflecting on the terms of Berkeley's disability culture
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Wheelchair Dancing
–c. 1970s–An image, courtesy of Jane Scherr, of the thrill of ecstatic wheelchair movement
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Scenario Mapping
–1976–A colorful two-dimensional collage was a crucial step towards understanding a client's needs
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Adapting to Disability with Style
–1978–Embossed leather details turn an adaptive device into a fashion statement
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A Word on Words
–1979–In its use of the term "crip," the landmark book Design for Independent Living captures the ethos of a revolution
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Photograph of Mary Ann Hiserman
–c. 1979–Mary Anne arrived to Berkeley with a dream, in the end she soared
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5. Portraits of Berkeley's Disabled Community: From Ray Lifchez's Collection
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Man with Camera
–March 1978–A collection of photos depicting behind-the-scenes looks at the everyday lives of people with disabilities thriving in Berkeley
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Group Portrait
–March 1978–A family radiates positive energy while posing for a snapshot
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Michael Williams
–1978 –A local Berkeley disability rights activist captured in moment of glee
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Man Perusing Newspaper
–c. 1978–A man reads a local Berkeley newspaper on a sun-filled morning
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Frisbee Play Pt. I
–c. 1979–An unidentified student caught in a playful moment on Berkeley's green
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Frisbee Play Pt. II
–c. 1979–An action shot mid-throw
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6. Going Where You Wheel: the CIL on Telegraph Ave (1986)
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Accessibility Survey of Telegraph Avenue
–6/1984–A remarkable survey of the accessibility of Telegraph's businesses — complete with beautiful illustrations and smart solutions
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Phil Draper at Corner of Telegraph Ave and Blake St
–c. 1976–A co-founder and director of CIL cruises America's most accessible street
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Curb Ramping in Berkeley—1984
–1986–What worked with the first curb cuts wasn't going to work now...
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A Japanese View of Telegraph Ave
–1986–A Japanese CIL intern compared the US and Japanese experience of disability
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Accessibility Means You Feel O.K. About Being in a Place
–1986–To legendary disabled playwright Neil Marcus, ramping was only the beginning
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It’s Accessible, It’s Electric, It’s Fascinating
–1986–Phil Draper, co-founder of the Center for Independent Living, on curb cuts and the spirit of Telegraph
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7. Rogue Tactics: Building Access in Public (1968-1972)
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Oral history of Eric Dibner
–1968-1970–A disability rights activist on the guerrilla actions taken, and not taken, to make curb cuts in Berkeley
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Corner of Dwight and Dana
–c. 1971–A historic intersection remembered as the site of experimental ramping by two access revolutionaries
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Midnight Contractors
–1972–The impetus to build their own curb cuts sparked during a weekly poker game
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DIY Curb Cuts in Twittersphere
–July 2016 –A tweet brings the disability narrative of sledgehammer wielding activists into 21st century
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8. Mary Ann Hiserman, a Disability Design Pioneer
