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Yes the romanticism is dead. People will not hitchhike in their power wheelchairs to come
to Berkeley anymore. Berkeley itself like anybody with success, one of the worst things
you can do is start believing in your own success. We are very fortunate that we have
an incredible CIL it is still one of the best in the world. Throughout California that is
not true. Ten years ago when people would contact me about a problem I would say contact
your local CIL, I won’t do that anymore because CIL won’t fight for anybody. It
is like any organization where the organization is more important than the clients. And that
was something that Ed was always about. People with disabilities are the most important thing.
If you have inspired people and inspired people working for you the funding will come. Joan
Leon is the grand fundraiser of independent living and there would not have been an independent
living movement or a disability rights movement without her fundraising. I would contract
that depending on government funding exclusively was not good thing for independent living
centers. And it would have been better if things would have been cut back a little bit
and had been an advocacy-oriented agency rather than being a big thing that is services. It
became almost like Easter Seals in a way, except with Easter Seals at least you have
better physical therapy. Although our Easter Seals was not accessible until four years
ago in marin county.