Episode 4 — Ed Roberts, An Independent Man, and the Movement

In this episode of The Independent, host Dr. Victor Pineda speaks with Scot Danforth, author of An Independent Man: Ed Roberts and the Fight for Disability Rights (University of California Press).Ed Roberts helped ignite the independent living movement — from organizing with the Rolling Quads at UC Berkeley to founding the first Center for Independent Living in Berkeley. But beyond the history, who was he? And what does his vision of independence mean today?This conversation explores:• Roberts’s journey from polio survivor to movement architect• The birth of peer-led independent living services• How grassroots activism shaped milestones like the 504 Sit-Ins and the ADA• Why independence is rooted in self-determination — and sustained through interdependence• What today’s disability movement can learn from Roberts’s legacyAn Independent Man offers a powerful, human portrait of how a movement grows — and how leadership grounded in community can reshape policy and culture.Subscribe to The Independent, produced by the Center for Independent Living (CIL), for more conversations on disability justice, leadership, and the future of access.Support the work of CIL and help sustain stories like this:Donate today at https://thecil.org/donate/