History
In the Beginning:
In 1949, Katie Carter was the visionary parent who encouraged other parents of children with disabilities to join together. She insisted that there must be an opportunity to train and educate these young people. This group of determined parents approached Newark City Schools for classroom space. The district refused with the response, ‘Why are you bothering to work with these children, they can never learn anything.’
Disappointed, but not dissuaded, and confident in their cause, more families joined in the effort. In 1952, the school yielded to pressure and allowed young students with disabilities to use a space next to the furnace as a classroom. This was in the basement of Mound School on Grant Street in Newark.
Ironically, Katie Carter’s own son, Billy, was not permitted to attend school. His skills were determined to be below the “acceptable” level for the class. Refusing to give up, Katie started a class in her own home of about eight boys who had also been excluded.
Our founding families became incorporated as the Licking County Council for Retarded Children (the original name of Center for Disability Services) in April, 1953, soon after their victory with Newark City Schools.
Incorporation gave the Council a notable position in the community and helped with fund raising efforts. It was an ongoing struggle to maintain the new classes. Parents had to furnish their own transportation, food and materials.
There were no textbooks, no special training courses for the first teachers, no set curriculum. The first teachers and others planned their own curriculum consisting of self-help skills, acceptable behavior and whatever other basic concepts their pupils could master. Each year, the classroom moved from school building to school building, and sometimes to churches.
The class size continued to grow in spite of the many moves. As the Council worked to supply the needs of teachers and pupils, a dream grew to have a school of their own with proper classrooms, lunch and recreational facilities. With the dedication of many families, teachers, and community leaders, funds for a building were raised, a curriculum was developed, and the Eleanor S. Weiant School, dubbed “Starlight School” by Eleanor herself, opened for classes in 1967.
As the work of the council became more recognized and people began to see the benefits of an educational program for children with developmental disabilities, it became apparent that older children and young adults needed to be taught work skills. So this little idea of a workshop was born.
Two volunteers found an empty house slated for razing to shelter the first workshop. However, they had no equipment. They borrowed hammers, nails, screw drivers and pliers. They collected scrap wood from a lumber yard and taught their newest pupils how to sand wood, use tools and nail pieces of wood together.
Their efforts were rewarded when the president of Fyrepel, a local business, gave them their first work contract. The workshop participants cut out and assembled the orange triangle signs that were used on the back of slow-moving vehicles.
As with the classes for younger students, space soon became a problem for the older individuals. A new place for the workshop was needed. The same businessman that offered the first work contract, now offered an old manufacturing building near the bridge at 121 East Main Street, in downtown Newark. The building was infested with rats and mice that came in from the river. The workers had to hang their lunch pails high on hooks along the wall to keep them safe. In spite of the poor working conditions, the young adults that attended the workshop continued to improve their skills and many contracts followed.
The workshop moved into the newly constructed Eleanor S. Weiant School in 1967. There, in safe and sanitary working conditions, workshop clients were able to expand their skills. They learned to use looms for weaving place mats and rugs, they refinished furniture, created and fired jewelry and ceramics, and caned chairs.
In October 1967, Ohio legislation established the “County 169 Boards,” the forerunner of what is now known as County Board of Developmental Disabilities. This legislation mandated that services for individuals with mental retardation be provided. Something we had been doing for 18 years! With this legislation, the Council turned over the property and operation of the Eleanor S. Weiant school, the educational classes and the workshop, to the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Living in the 1970's
By 1967 the Council functioned well and had long maintained an office in the Arcade. Workshop products were sold to the public and information and assistance was provided to countless individuals and their families.
Throughout these years, another area of great need for individuals with developmental disabilities became apparent. Some older parents were no longer able to take of their adult children and they did not want to send them to state institutions. Some of our older clients could not find or afford a decent place to live. A clean, decent residence was needed where help with daily living was provided and a group of people could live together to defray the costs.
Responding to this need, in 1973 the Council purchased and operated one of the first group homes in the state, and the very first in Licking County, Marsh Home. Eight young men lived in this pleasant and affordable Hudson Avenue home. A few years later, Starrett House on Mt. Vernon Road was purchased and operated as a group home for women. The Council maintained and operated these homes for about 15 years. In 1986 and again in 1992, the Council sold these two group homes and turned over operation to Newark Resident Homes. One is still operating today as a group home for individuals with developmental disabilities.
In the late 70's, several young men appeared in the Council office. One’s mother had died, and he had no place to go. The other man’s sister had thrown him out of her house. The Director of the Council found and rented an apartment for them. She also found people to help them learn necessary daily living skills.
This was the beginning of the Council’s involvement with independent living, still a major focus of services provided today. Center for Disability Services currently owns 10 houses and one three-unit apartment building that offer an affordable, independent housing option to more than 25 people. We also continue to provide the supportive services needed for successful, community based, independent living.
Still Visionary:
In 1982, The Council for Retarded Children changed its name to the Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC). This reflected service to children and adults and identified their association with the state and national organizations. The Licking County Association for Retarded Citizens then turned its attention to opening doors to many areas which were needed to enhance the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. Two particular areas of need were respite and recreation/socialization.
The Association for Retarded Citizens was one of only seven agencies chosen from around the state to pilot a respite program. Respite programs were a cutting-edge way of providing support to the main care giver of adults and children with developmental disabilities. Respite provided an opportunity to take a break from the stresses of daily care, while being assured that their loved one would be properly cared for. This was the beginning of the Family Resource Services programs around the state. This agency operated the Family Resource Services program until the mid-1990's when the County Boards of DD were designated to provide the program.
In 1991, The Adaptive Socialization Program began offering community based, recreational activities to adults with developmental disabilities. This was one of the first programs in the state to actively support social and recreational integration in the community. This program has grown from offering bowling and swimming on a weekly basis, to a wide variety of daily recreational and social activities that include concerts, professional ball games, dances, movies, and much more.
In 1993, to emphasize people first and disabilities last, the national organization and all state and local affiliates changed their name again to The Arc. The Arc of Licking County also carried the byline, “Dedicated to all People with Developmental Disabilities and their Families.”
Today, our name is Center for Disability Services. Our newest, and hopefully, final name, became effective in July, 2006. The new name helps the community more clearly identify who we are and what we do. Center for Disability Services is no longer a local chapter of The Arc of the United States or The Arc of Ohio.
Now:
Our logo, a heart with CDS above, reflects our dedication to children and adults with disabilities, their families, and our community. The heart represents our commitment and passion to provide best practice supportive services.
Center for Disability Services offers a wide array of programs and services that enhance and support children and adults with disabilities and their families.
After more than 60 years of growth, community awareness, acceptance and inclusion, there are still so very many strides to be made. Our staff is dedicated to reaching that vision of the future when all people with disabilities and their families live with dignity, the freedom to choose the direction of their lives and with the support to reach their personal dreams.
Founders, Key Families & Community Supporters of Center for Disability Services:
Eleanor S. Weiant, Elizabeth M. Irwin, Thomas E. Norpell, Fava Waller, Blanche Beal Lowe, Philip B. Young, Kathryn G. Carter, Jane & Paul M. Marsh, Glenn F. Abel, Baird Krueger, Kobe Family, Schnaidt Family, Eileen Reeb, Mary Kay Ryan, John Weaver, Joseph Baker & Associates Architects
In 1949, Katie Carter was the visionary parent who encouraged other parents of children with disabilities to join together. She insisted that there must be an opportunity to train and educate these young people. This group of determined parents approached Newark City Schools for classroom space. The district refused with the response, ‘Why are you bothering to work with these children, they can never learn anything.’
Disappointed, but not dissuaded, and confident in their cause, more families joined in the effort. In 1952, the school yielded to pressure and allowed young students with disabilities to use a space next to the furnace as a classroom. This was in the basement of Mound School on Grant Street in Newark.
Ironically, Katie Carter’s own son, Billy, was not permitted to attend school. His skills were determined to be below the “acceptable” level for the class. Refusing to give up, Katie started a class in her own home of about eight boys who had also been excluded.
Our founding families became incorporated as the Licking County Council for Retarded Children (the original name of Center for Disability Services) in April, 1953, soon after their victory with Newark City Schools.
Incorporation gave the Council a notable position in the community and helped with fund raising efforts. It was an ongoing struggle to maintain the new classes. Parents had to furnish their own transportation, food and materials.
There were no textbooks, no special training courses for the first teachers, no set curriculum. The first teachers and others planned their own curriculum consisting of self-help skills, acceptable behavior and whatever other basic concepts their pupils could master. Each year, the classroom moved from school building to school building, and sometimes to churches.
The class size continued to grow in spite of the many moves. As the Council worked to supply the needs of teachers and pupils, a dream grew to have a school of their own with proper classrooms, lunch and recreational facilities. With the dedication of many families, teachers, and community leaders, funds for a building were raised, a curriculum was developed, and the Eleanor S. Weiant School, dubbed “Starlight School” by Eleanor herself, opened for classes in 1967.
As the work of the council became more recognized and people began to see the benefits of an educational program for children with developmental disabilities, it became apparent that older children and young adults needed to be taught work skills. So this little idea of a workshop was born.
Two volunteers found an empty house slated for razing to shelter the first workshop. However, they had no equipment. They borrowed hammers, nails, screw drivers and pliers. They collected scrap wood from a lumber yard and taught their newest pupils how to sand wood, use tools and nail pieces of wood together.
Their efforts were rewarded when the president of Fyrepel, a local business, gave them their first work contract. The workshop participants cut out and assembled the orange triangle signs that were used on the back of slow-moving vehicles.
As with the classes for younger students, space soon became a problem for the older individuals. A new place for the workshop was needed. The same businessman that offered the first work contract, now offered an old manufacturing building near the bridge at 121 East Main Street, in downtown Newark. The building was infested with rats and mice that came in from the river. The workers had to hang their lunch pails high on hooks along the wall to keep them safe. In spite of the poor working conditions, the young adults that attended the workshop continued to improve their skills and many contracts followed.
The workshop moved into the newly constructed Eleanor S. Weiant School in 1967. There, in safe and sanitary working conditions, workshop clients were able to expand their skills. They learned to use looms for weaving place mats and rugs, they refinished furniture, created and fired jewelry and ceramics, and caned chairs.
In October 1967, Ohio legislation established the “County 169 Boards,” the forerunner of what is now known as County Board of Developmental Disabilities. This legislation mandated that services for individuals with mental retardation be provided. Something we had been doing for 18 years! With this legislation, the Council turned over the property and operation of the Eleanor S. Weiant school, the educational classes and the workshop, to the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Living in the 1970's
By 1967 the Council functioned well and had long maintained an office in the Arcade. Workshop products were sold to the public and information and assistance was provided to countless individuals and their families.
Throughout these years, another area of great need for individuals with developmental disabilities became apparent. Some older parents were no longer able to take of their adult children and they did not want to send them to state institutions. Some of our older clients could not find or afford a decent place to live. A clean, decent residence was needed where help with daily living was provided and a group of people could live together to defray the costs.
Responding to this need, in 1973 the Council purchased and operated one of the first group homes in the state, and the very first in Licking County, Marsh Home. Eight young men lived in this pleasant and affordable Hudson Avenue home. A few years later, Starrett House on Mt. Vernon Road was purchased and operated as a group home for women. The Council maintained and operated these homes for about 15 years. In 1986 and again in 1992, the Council sold these two group homes and turned over operation to Newark Resident Homes. One is still operating today as a group home for individuals with developmental disabilities.
In the late 70's, several young men appeared in the Council office. One’s mother had died, and he had no place to go. The other man’s sister had thrown him out of her house. The Director of the Council found and rented an apartment for them. She also found people to help them learn necessary daily living skills.
This was the beginning of the Council’s involvement with independent living, still a major focus of services provided today. Center for Disability Services currently owns 10 houses and one three-unit apartment building that offer an affordable, independent housing option to more than 25 people. We also continue to provide the supportive services needed for successful, community based, independent living.
Still Visionary:
In 1982, The Council for Retarded Children changed its name to the Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC). This reflected service to children and adults and identified their association with the state and national organizations. The Licking County Association for Retarded Citizens then turned its attention to opening doors to many areas which were needed to enhance the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. Two particular areas of need were respite and recreation/socialization.
The Association for Retarded Citizens was one of only seven agencies chosen from around the state to pilot a respite program. Respite programs were a cutting-edge way of providing support to the main care giver of adults and children with developmental disabilities. Respite provided an opportunity to take a break from the stresses of daily care, while being assured that their loved one would be properly cared for. This was the beginning of the Family Resource Services programs around the state. This agency operated the Family Resource Services program until the mid-1990's when the County Boards of DD were designated to provide the program.
In 1991, The Adaptive Socialization Program began offering community based, recreational activities to adults with developmental disabilities. This was one of the first programs in the state to actively support social and recreational integration in the community. This program has grown from offering bowling and swimming on a weekly basis, to a wide variety of daily recreational and social activities that include concerts, professional ball games, dances, movies, and much more.
In 1993, to emphasize people first and disabilities last, the national organization and all state and local affiliates changed their name again to The Arc. The Arc of Licking County also carried the byline, “Dedicated to all People with Developmental Disabilities and their Families.”
Today, our name is Center for Disability Services. Our newest, and hopefully, final name, became effective in July, 2006. The new name helps the community more clearly identify who we are and what we do. Center for Disability Services is no longer a local chapter of The Arc of the United States or The Arc of Ohio.
Now:
Our logo, a heart with CDS above, reflects our dedication to children and adults with disabilities, their families, and our community. The heart represents our commitment and passion to provide best practice supportive services.
Center for Disability Services offers a wide array of programs and services that enhance and support children and adults with disabilities and their families.
After more than 60 years of growth, community awareness, acceptance and inclusion, there are still so very many strides to be made. Our staff is dedicated to reaching that vision of the future when all people with disabilities and their families live with dignity, the freedom to choose the direction of their lives and with the support to reach their personal dreams.
Founders, Key Families & Community Supporters of Center for Disability Services:
Eleanor S. Weiant, Elizabeth M. Irwin, Thomas E. Norpell, Fava Waller, Blanche Beal Lowe, Philip B. Young, Kathryn G. Carter, Jane & Paul M. Marsh, Glenn F. Abel, Baird Krueger, Kobe Family, Schnaidt Family, Eileen Reeb, Mary Kay Ryan, John Weaver, Joseph Baker & Associates Architects
