our history
The Allen County League for the Blind, Inc. (ACLB) was established as a non-profit corporation on October 17, 1950 to provide educational, employment and rehabilitation services for people who were blind. Funding for the League's first two-year budget of $15,000 came from a donation of $6,000 from the Junior League of Fort Wayne and a direct appeal to local citizens by Ms. Helen Keller who came to Fort Wayne in 1949 to assist the Center with its first fund raising effort.
In its early years the League initiated a variety of activities and programs that emphasized the inclusion of people who are blind in existing community opportunities. The League was instrumental in the passage of a 1955 state law that required public schools to provide educational services for children who were blind, deaf, mentally retarded, and epileptic. In 1958 the agency rejected the concept of sheltered employment for the blind and started a program to place these individuals in community based competitive jobs. Both of these initiatives occurred approximately 20 years before inclusion in community based education and employment became nationally recognized models.
In 1961 the agency went under the joint directorship of the Community Coordinating Center which later became Anthony Wayne Services. Services of the League were limited primarily to programs for working-age individuals that could be paid for by state funding agencies. Non-working age older citizens were not served and children’s services were limited to braille transcription services needed for educational purposes. The center’s role as an advocate for systems change ceased to exist.
In 1981 the League re-established its independence through a federal grant to convert the organization to a Center for Independent Living (CIL). This event had a major impact on the organization’s philosophy and operations. The establishment of CILs across the nation was the result of a movement by people with disabilities to take control of their own lives. CILs were defined by the federal funding source as consumer controlled, non-residential, community based, non-profit organizations. In addition, they were required to provide core services of information and referral, peer support, advocacy and independent living skills training services. The philosophical basis of CILs emphasized control of the organization by people with disabilities or “consumers.” A majority of the board and staff were required to be consumers. The concept of consumers assisting other consumers, or peer support, replaced the traditional medical or professional/patient model of service delivery. These consumer-controlled organizations were given a federal mandate to serve as the primary advocate for inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life. The philosophical basis attached to the League’s new funding source began a return to the community inclusion themes established in the 1950’s. It also added a concept of consumer control to all levels of the organization and began a period of growth unprecedented in the Center’s history.
Major programmatic and management changes began taking place again in 1990. Operationally, the Center instituted a new case management system, developed new internal procedures, revised personnel policies, developed a new employee performance appraisal system, implemented computer-based accounting, established a database system to track program activities and significantly decreased its administrative costs. The League also revised its mission statement and opened eligibility to all people with sever or significant disabilities. Programmatically, the agency initiated three major new programs to emphasize advocacy and community inclusion themes. These programs included the initiation of an adaptive technology program, implementation of a new summer youth program and the establishment of a job accommodation program to assist the community with the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In 1994, the organization’s name was changed to the League for the Blind & Disabled, Inc. to better reflect the Center’s service to all people with severe disabilities and to reflect service availability to people with disabilities outside of Allen County.
Today, the League for the Blind & Disabled, Inc. continues its tradition of inclusion as a center for independent living. Services are provided to all people with significant or severe disabilities and communities in Northeast Indiana. The Center is recognized as a statewide leader in the independent living movement, practices the philosophy of consumer control in all aspects of its operation and serves as a strong advocate for the opportunities that enable people with disabilities to be full and equal members of society.