Wry, tenacious and determined, Zukas designed Berkeley’s first curb cuts, brought wheelchair-accessible buttons to BART elevators and engineered accessibility improvements around the globe.
Center for Independent Living
Posted inBusiness
Berkeley’s Center for Independent Living, which launched the disability rights movement, turns 50
Famous for pushing Berkeley to install the country’s first curb cut, the center has also broken ground with its peer counseling program and now helps around 1,000 people per year.
Posted inCity
Berkeley tries grassroots methods to avoid ‘vaccine hunters,’ reach vulnerable groups
Churches and community organizations are helping with an equity-minded COVID-19 vaccine outreach.
Posted inCity, Fire, Nature
Berkeley reaches out to vulnerable residents during shutoff, but evacuation call prompts criticism
Hundreds of Twitter users accused the city of telling residents with disabilities to fend for themselves during the outage. Berkeley says that doesn’t reflect what’s happening on the ground.
Posted inObituaries
Remembering Dr. Hal Reis Kirshbaum: A social justice crusader
Hal will be fondly remembered for his humor, his philosophical insights and his lifetime dedication fighting for social justice, as well as for his love for his family, his resilience and his kindness.
Posted inCity
Wheelchair repair program a lifeline for the disabled — particularly on the streets
Berkeley residents with disabilities, including an increasing number of homeless people, rely on Easy Does It’s emergency services, including its unusual wheelchair repair program.
Posted inBusiness, Housing & Development
Zoning board approves new units on Telegraph, Shattuck
The Nexus at 2539 Telegraph Ave. has been approved. Image: Lowney Architecture Berkeley’s zoning board approved two largely car-free buildings Thursday set to add 92 new residential units to the city’s housing stock. Both of the projects — 70 units on Telegraph Avenue and 22 units on Shattuck Avenue — were proposed by Patrick Kennedy’s […]
Posted inHousing & Development
ZAB approves 2539 Telegraph EIR, postpones use permit
The Zoning Adjustments Board gave critical feedback to Patrick Kennedy, the developer of 2539 Telegraph Ave., about the outsize nature of the planned building. Photo: Panoramic Interests Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board earlier this month approved the Environmental Impact Report for a controversial 6-story apartment building proposed on Telegraph Avenue, but postponed a decision on the project’s use permit to ask […]
Posted inHousing & Development
Decades-old mural could derail Berkeley apartment project
A developer hopes to build a 70-unit aromplex at 2539 Telegraph Ave., but a mural on the property may be landmarked, making the project unfeasible. Image: Panoramic Interests A developer hopes to build a 70-unit aromplex at 2539 Telegraph Ave., but a mural on the property may be landmarked, making the project unfeasible. Image: Panoramic Interests After deciding the former Center for […]
Posted inEvents
The It List: Five things to do in Berkeley this weekend
New York violinist Jennifer Koh makes a repeat appearance in Berkeley tonight at Zellerbach Hall. Photo: Jennifer Koh JENNIFER KOH Violinist Jennifer Koh is no stranger to Berkeley, although Berkeley audiences may know her as Einstein, a role she undertook when she played in Einstein on the Beach at Cal Performances. This time she plays as herself — a powerful […]
Posted inHousing & Development
Berkeley neighbors question parking, height of student-oriented housing planned on Telegraph
Patrick Kennedy hopes to build new housing on Telegraph Avenue, shown in this photo simulation. Image: Lowney Architecture A proposed retail and housing project on Telegraph Avenue that’s already proven controversial with neighbors got its first review last week from Berkeley’s zoning board. The man behind the proposal is Patrick Kennedy, head of Berkeley-based Panoramic Interests, who is working […]
Posted inObituaries
Joyce Ardell Jackson: A fighter for disability rights
Joyce Ardell Jackson, who died on Dec. 29. 2013. Joyce Ardell Jackson departed this life on Sunday, December 29, 2013, in San Pedro, California, following a decades-long struggle with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Born June 2, 1947, in Berkeley, California, Joyce was a spirited youngster, adventurous and friendly. At the age of 12, she contracted arthritis, a defining […]