100 Years of Changing the Way the World Views and Defines Disabilities

Easterseals is 100 Years Young

In 1919, Edgar Allen founded a service organization that eventually became known as the National Society for Crippled Children which eventually became Easterseals. He discovered that people with disabilities were hidden from the public eye due to a lack of support in their communities. He wanted to change all that.

100 years later, as we enter 2019, Easterseals has evolved into a multi-national organization. With the support of donors, sponsors, volunteers, and staff, Easterseals provides opportunities for people with disabilities and special needs to live, learn, work, and play in their communities. Together we have worked to change the way the world views and defines disabilities and we’ve seen great progress since our founding.

Making 100% Possible

Through our combined advocacy efforts with incredible activists, we’ve seen the very landscape of our world change. We’ve seen buildings made accessible with the addition of ramps and braille signs. Public schools allow for mainstreaming and individual education plans. Closed captions have been added to just about every major cable channel. Public buses have been outfitted with personal lifts. And services provided by organizations such as Easterseals are provided often at no cost to the individual being served or their loved ones. We are proud to see these changes being made, but still see room for improvement, so for the next 100 years, we setting a goal worth pursuing:

We want everyone to be:

100% Included

100% Empowered

100% Served

And just like our last 100 years, we couldn’t achieve our goals without your support and the support of our partners. So if you’re ready to make a difference that will shape the world for next 100 years, keep an eye out in February on easterseals100.org/ to learn how you can help make 100% possible.