[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 21, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      IN TRIBUTE TO EDWARD ROBERTS

                                 ______


                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives
                        Tuesday, March 21, 1995
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a true 
American pioneer, a hero to millions, a leader in the truest sense of 
the word: Edward V. Roberts. Ed Roberts was known and loved by millions 
throughout the world, for, by the sheer force of his will, 
intelligence, and genius, he created the independent living movement 
for people with disabilities.
  Born in 1939, Ed was stricken with polio at the age of 14. Left a 
quadriplegic by the disease, Ed soon found that the world did not 
recognize that though his body had been ravaged, his mind had not. 
Confronted with the fact that his high school would not let him 
graduate because he could not complete mandatory driver's and physical 
education classes, Ed began his career in tenacious advocacy by 
convincing his principal to lift that restriction.
  In 1962, he became the first severely disabled student to attend the 
University of California at Berkeley, overcoming opposition to the idea 
of a student who required a respirator during the day and an iron lung 
at night. He was physically separated from other students by the 
school, which housed him at Cowell hospital. Not being content with 
being a trailblazer for the admission of disabled students, he led a 
successful fight to allow them to use regular student housing.
  After receiving a bachelor's and master's degree in political 
science, and after teaching at UC-Berkeley for 6 years, Ed left the 
school to establish the Center for Independent Living. The center's 
goal was to carry out much of what Ed had spent his life battling 
alone: helping to find and promote housing, transportation, and 
assistance for the disabled. His work caught the eye of Governor Jerry 
Brown, who appointed him the head of the State Department of 
Rehabilitation. He held the position until 1982. During his tenure, Ed 
was tireless in promoting the rights of the disabled, and working to 
ensure that independent living was not merely a goal, but a need for 
the severely disabled.
  In 1984, in recognition of his work, Ed received a $225,000 MacArthur 
Foundation ``Genius'' Award. Using the grant, he, Judy Heumann, and 
Joan Leon established the World Institute on Disability, which has 
become the most influential policy and research center on people with 
disabilities. Indeed, the World Institute and Ed played a key role in 
helping passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act.
  Most recently, Ed and the World Institute have been profiled in a 
three-part series on people with disabilities and technology called 
``People in Motion.'' In addition, Ed has been working on a project to 
create work stations for people with disabilities that would allow them 
to own their own small businesses, such as expresso or vending carts. 
It was my privilege to work with Ed on this project with regard to the 
San Francisco International Airport.
  Unfortunately, the world lost Ed Roberts on March 14, 1995. On 
Sunday, March 19th, a memorial service was held to honor Ed Roberts at 
the UC-Berkeley campus. I, along with countless others, was proud to 
call Ed Roberts my friend. He has been called, with little hyperbole, 
the ``Ghandi of the disability rights movement.'' Comparisons, however, 
do not do justice to the spirit, the passion, which filled the soul of 
Ed Roberts. Perhaps Ed defined it best: after overhearing a doctor 
telling his mother that it would be better if he died from the polio 
because he would be left a vegetable, Ed immediately thought of the 
artichoke, which was prickly on the outside with a tender heart.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Congress, allow me to express our 
condolences to his son, Lee, his mother, Vona, and brothers Mark and 
Ron. But, more importantly, we must continue our fight as a Nation for 
the rights of the disabled. It is only through our actions that we 
properly pay tribute to Ed Roberts' enduring legacy of good works and 
his tireless pursuit of justice on behalf of the disabled.


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