As inclusion Powell River celebrates its 60th anniversary this winter, it is important to recognize that the history of this grassroots community organization is part of a much bigger story in the province. It’s the story of the start of a movement for human rights for people with developmental disabilities and it began with the fight for public education.
inclusion Powell River, formerly known as PRACL and other names over the years, started in the home of Dave and Jean Pike in the spring of 1954. Parents gathered to create a non-profit society, one of seven in the province at the time, to lobby the government for fair treatment of their children.
Educating children with special needs was a key issue as children were excluded from the public education system. Despite all the labels, parents believed their children were capable of learning and had the same right as any other child to be able to develop their potential. The government of the day, however, was not interested in opening the doors to public education, preferring to let parent groups organize their own classes. And it was not until 1956 that the first classes at the University of BC were held to train teachers in special education, something that today is a chosen specialization.
In Powell River, the basement of Dwight Hall was the first special education classroom, funded by community donations and supported by volunteers. Classes were held three days a week.
It took three more years before the province amended the School Act to allow some children with moderate special needs access to the public system, and it was not until the mid 1970s that all children with developmental disabilities were accepted, though placed in segregated classes.
In the 1980s, as the government started to scale back and close its institutions for the developmentally delayed, residential programs began opening across the province in communities like Powell River. Four houses were bought locally and opened to provide homes for those previously institutionalized.
Over the years the organization has continued to grow to serve more people and has become one of Powell River’s largest employers. It currently serves approximately 250 children and families each year, 105 adults with intellectual challenges, two adults with acquired brain injuries and 37 seniors through its home support program. The organization has an annual budget of $7.5 million with 85 per cent of that paid as wages and the remaining spent locally on groceries and other items.
