The Legacy of Zona Roberts

CW: Ableism & Death

On Friday, Jan. 10, Zona Roberts, a pioneer in the disability rights movement and mother of Ed Roberts, who is widely considered the father of independent living, died peacefully in her Berkeley home, surrounded by loved ones. 

Zona was a caring mother to her four sons. In 1953, her fourteen-year-old son, Ed contracted polio. The virus would leave him quadriplegic.

Poliomyelitis, commonly known as polio, is an infection caused by a virus (poliovirus). Polio is most common in children under the age of five. It can result in muscle weakness, permanent disability, and even death. Clinical symptoms range from minor respiratory illnesses, gastroenteritis, and malaise to severe paralysis.

After her son’s diagnosis, Zora fought tirelessly to ensure that he had the rights and opportunities he deserved. She overcame educational, medical, and social bureaucracy and prejudices, encouraged the entire family to participate in Ed’s care, and taught him how to fight for himself. 

Ed grew into a disability activist. Zona worked alongside him to help support disabled students at the University of California and in the community. Zona herself became a staunch advocate and promoter of accessibility and inclusion.

She enrolled at UC Berkeley at the age of 44, earning her bachelor’s degree and teaching credential in 1969 and 1970, respectively. During these years, her Berkeley house, the “Green House,” served as a gathering place for disabled students and their attendants, as well as teachers, doctors, writers, therapists, and the numerous visitors who came to study the developing disability activist community. 

 She not only established one of the first models of independent living through these gatherings, but she also offered a space for activists to meet, speak, eat, support, and learn from one another. Zona’s warmth, perseverance, and passion for justice inspired countless people, some of whom changed legislation and established a course for greater opportunities and freedoms for disabled people.

 Without people like Ed and Zona Roberts, the lives of people like me would look much different. I am forever grateful to Ed Roberts and all of the other disabled people who fought for me and others. Because of their efforts, accessibility is now a part of everyday life, inclusion is a priority, and the voices of disabled people are becoming more and more powerful.

Sources:

“Ed Roberts.” The California Museum, The California Museum, 15 Feb. 2012, https://www.californiamuseum.org/inductee/ed-roberts. 

Santiago Pineda , Victor. “Zona Roberts, Grandmother of Disability Rights Movement, Is Dead at 104.” Berkeleyside, Berkeleyside, 14 Jan. 2025, http://www.berkeleyside.org/2025/01/14/zona-roberts-obituary. 

Walter, Kristin, and Preeti N. Malani. ‘What Is Polio?’ JAMA, vol. 328, no. 16, Oct. 2022, pp. 1652–1652, https://doi.org10.1001/jama.2022.17159.