Max Starkloff

Max Starkloff is possibly one of the most important activists in the Independent Living Movement. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1937. In 1958 at the age of 21 Starkloff became paralyzed from the neck down after an automobile accident. The first four years of his recovery would be spent staying with his mother, after which he was sent to St. Joseph's Hill Infirmary. He would spend the next twelve years of his life in this nursing home which sat about an hour outside of St. Louis. During this time it is said he grew frustrated and at times resentful of the attitudes many people held toward disabled people. During his stay Starkloff took up painting, learning to hold a paint brush with his teeth to do so, and using this hobby as an outlet for his emotions. His interests grew to include philosophy and art history, though a topic never far from his mind was independence.

While staying at the nursing home Starkloff's interest in activism also began to blossom. He took particular interest in both the Civil Rights Movement and the protests against the Vietnam War. His own journey into activism would begin in 1970 during a visit to California. During the trip he visited Berkley and encountered the Physically Disabled Students' Program. The organization was run by a quadriplegic man named Ed Roberts. Their goal was to remove barriers preventing disabled students from excelling academically. This trip would inspire Starkloff to return to St. Louis and begin raising funds for a similar organization. 

The next few years would be some of the most important for Starkloff. Not long after returning he met his future wife in the form of a physical therapist named Colleen Kelly who shared his passion for the idea of independent living and disability rights. The two would get married in 1975. That same year Starkloff would get the first grant for Paraquad, a nonprofit Independent Living Center and one of the first of its kind. The organization remains running to this day with the goal of helping people with disabilities of all kinds to live happy, independent, and fulfilling lives. The 1970s would see more progress being made in St. Louis towards accessibility. Curb cuts would begin to be made in 1972 and St. Louis would see some of the first busses with wheelchair lifts deployed and tested publicly in 1978 and 79. Starkloff would continue to work at making St. Louis more accessible for all of its citizens. His work helped to make schools, public transportation, churches, and even the St. Louis Zoo more accessible. Starkloff advocated for the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act until it was eventually signed in 1990. In 2003 both Max and Colleen Starkloff stepped away from Paraquad and founded the Starkloff Disability Institute a nonprofit dedicated to fighting against harmful views about disabled people. On December 27, 2010 Max Starkloff passed away after complications from the flu. The organizations he left behind continue the fight for the rights of disabled people to this day.

Max Starkloff would be one of the first people to say the fight for equality is not done. In a documentary linked below he explores how accessible St. Louis actually is for disabled people. The documentary aired in 1995, about five years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. One point he made related to curb cuts and their frequency within the city. In one scene it is shown that while there may be a curb cut on one side on the road, that does not guarantee there is one on the other side. This lack of consistent access forced him to go down the street against traffic to find a curb cut to he could get back on the sidewalk. Starkloff also points out that the presence of a curb cut does not mean it is well maintained and that cracks and general disrepair can make them unsafe to use.

During the time that this exhibit is being curated (November 2023) there is a push by disability rights activists to audit the St. Louis metro bus and train operations. The STL Metropolitan Alliance for Reliable Transit (a group affiliated with Paraquad) is asking that funds be set aside to hire a consulting firm with the goal of making safer and more accessible transportation. An article by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is linked both here and in the section titled Sources and Additional Reading below. The point of mentioning this is to help drive home the title of this section, that the fight for equal access continues and has not ended. 

The next section below includes links to both Paraquad and the Starkloff Disability Institute. Both are worthwhile organizations seeking to make St. Louis a better place for all who call it home. 

This section contains links and brief descriptions of organizations founded by Max Starkloff.

• Paraquad 

  • As discussed in the previous section Paraquad is a nonprofit founded by Max and Colleen Starkloff in the 1970s as an Independent Living Center. The work they do often revolves around helping people with disabilities to transition to independent living while providing additional services and information. The website also contains a timeline of the history of both Paraquad and the Independent Living Movement. They do events with a helpful calendar section for those looking to get involved.  

• Starkloff Disability Institute 

  • A nonprofit founded by Max and Colleen Starkloff in 2003. In their own words "the Starkloff Disability Institute works on changing societal attitudes and perceptions about people with disabilities through activities that send a positive message about living with disability in order to create a world that welcomes disabled people". The website also contains a section dedicated to the work done by Max and Colleen (awards, public service history, etc.). They have a Community section for those looking to get involved and perhaps even volunteer. 

This section contains links to articles for continued reading about Starkloff's life and legacy.

• STLPR Pieces About Starkloff 

  • This is a link to the St. Louis Public Radio (STLPR) pieces relating to Max Starkloff, several of which contain audio files from the radio broadcasts. These pieces range from obituaries, remembrances, an interview with his wife Colleen Kelly Starkloff, and even a discussion about his art and where people can go to see it.

•   Riverfront Times 

  • This article explores the progress and shortcomings of the American's with Disabilities Act and pulls quotes from the Starkloffs. It is certainly a worthwhile read and fits well with the them of a continued fight for access. The author even goes into their own experiences as a disabled person. 

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  • This article details the current push for an audit of the St. Louis Metro by disability rights advocates. These advocates also happen to be associated with Paraquad. 

• STLPR Piece About Metro 

  • This piece details problems disabled people have been having with the Call-A-Ride system as it currently functions.