WHO WE ARE

History:

In the late 1940's, a small but inspired group of parents of mentally retarded children came together to seek improvements in the Special Education curriculum ofhe New York City Board of Education. In those years, a mentally retarded childcould be excluded from Public School without cause.

In 1951 these parents applied for and received a Corporate Charter as The Parents Association for C.R.M.D., Inc. Under the leadership of its founder, Ida Rappaport, it became one of the first organizations to became an advocate and spokesman for mentally retarded children within the City of New York. The Association fought for and prevailed upon the New York State Legislature to lower the entrance age for school to five and to raise the upper level to 21. Thousands of children were thus enabled to obtain additional education and training. In 1957 the Association successfully advocated and the Legislature passed a law that required School Boards to establish programs suitable to the abilities of disabled children in the Public Schools. It was a four year battle in the Courts which finally resulted in what became known as Occupational Training Centers.

The Association's history parallels the history of the service delivery system in New York since it often led the way in the establishment of new service models. After some 50 years, the Board of Directors voted to change the corporate name of the Association to Lifespire, Inc. The name Lifespire is truly reflective of the organization's aim of "Helping Individual's Reach Life's Aspirations." Today Lifespire is recognized as a leader in providing services to developmentally disabled adults of New York City and the surrounding metropolitan areas