Easter Seals Greater Washington-Baltimore Region 75 Years of Services and Looking to the Future History of Easter Seals: The D.C. Society for Crippled Children was founded in 1933 by a group of local physicians and therapists to treat orthopedically handicapped youngsters, primarily with Cerebral Palsy. In 1933, there were few options for children with disabilities who were often either placed in institutions or socially set apart and hidden from public view. In 1944, the organization opened its first clinic and provided services from several locations over the next years. By the late 1950s, the organization recognized the need for a permanent home and they built a new facility at 2800 Girard Street in 1959. When the center opened it was the first program in the Washington, D.C. area to provide comprehensive educational and therapeutic services to young children with disabilities, and served children from areas all around the beltway. By 1980, Easter Seals had expanded its services into the surrounding counties in Maryland and for many years operated an outpatient rehabilitation center in Prince Georges County. Rehabilitation and other services were also expanded to Montgomery County. In 1996, Easter Seals merged with The Child Development Center of Northern Virginia and began providing early education and therapy services in Northern Virginia. During these years of growth, Home and Community Therapy services emerged as an alternative to bricks and mortar rehabilitation centers giving access to therapy for children and adults with disabilities in their homes or other community settings.

Easter Seals Today: In 1992, the service areas of the Maryland Easter Seals were combined with the D. C. organization. By 1995, the flagship adult day services center was founded in Hagerstown, followed by the opening of a second center in Baltimore in 1997 and Arlington, VA and Silver Spring, MD in 2008.

Easter Seals Looks to the Future: Easter Seals was and continues to be a leader in identifying the needs of children with disabilities and adapting programing to meet those needs. Today, as the population grows older Easter Seals is on the cutting edge in Adult Day Services and is innovative in provding alternatives to expensive and undesired institutionalization for older Americans. Easter Seals has been in the forefront in identifying emerging needs and pioneering innovative solutions. Easter Seals will continue to be a leader in providing quality, family-focused services and pioneering the services that help people with disabilities live better lives.