How did wheelchair users help redesign Berkeley’s street corners?
A curb can be a small edge to one pedestrian and an impassable barrier to another. In his oral history, Hale Zukas describes wheelchair users asking Berkeley to make curbs accessible and contributing a ramp design. The account makes lived experience part of defining the design problem, not just reacting to a finished solution.
Questions you could explore
- What could the people using the route identify that a plan alone might miss?
Start reading
- revolution.berkeley.eduSelection from Hale Zukas's Oral History
Zukas recounts how wheelchair users asked for accessible curbs and contributed to the city’s design.
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Your topic carries over. Record up to 2½ minutes, depending on your plan.