In February of 1973, the City of Berkeley passed an unprecedented resolution authorizing 125 new curb ramps at locations chosen by a committee of people with disabilities from The Center for Independent Living (CIL). By doing so, Berkeley became one of the first cities to create a fully wheelchair-accessible sidewalk route in the United States. Curb ramps are so commonplace it’s hard to imagine Berkeley without them. The positive effects of curb cuts were felt immediately, for they enabled greater independence by wheelchair users in the vicinity of Berkeley.
Embracing a cross-disability consciousness was also an asset for the germinating independent living movement. At the bottom of the last page, the resolution specifies that two ramps on Telegraph Ave will have exposed aggregate surface, providing a tactile surface for people with low vision or traction for wheelchair users.