Edward (Ed) Verne Roberts (1939-1995) is a key figure in the United States’ disability rights movement. At the age of 14, Edward contracted polio which left him paralyzed in most of his lower body. Roberts needed to use iron lung medical equipment ever since. During recovery, he had to resume studies on the telephone. He soon realized that students with disabilities were discriminated against. Roberts was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley yet administrators tried to reverse Roberts’ acceptance upon discovering that he was quadriplegic. Roberts was persistent and became the first student in a wheelchair at UCLA. Roberts created a group for students with disabilities that urged UC Berkeley to design accessible classrooms and dorm buildings. The group later became the Physically Disabled Students Program - the country’s first college organization for students with disabilities. Roberts finished his education and taught political science courses at UC Berkeley and later led California’s Department of Rehabilitation. He co-founded the World Institute on Disability which continues to teach students about disability.