With Clark Clark Kerr campus barely recognizable in the background, a man in a wheelchair uses a frisbee to block the sun while looking directly into the camera with a smirk.
The Berkeley Revolution
A digital archive of the East Bay's transformation in the late-1960s & 1970s
Frisbee Play Pt. I
Date: c. 1979
Citation:
Photograph by Raymond Lifchez, Private collection, Raymond Lifchez.
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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
