History

A state statute originally enacted in 1969,  commonly referred to as "SB40" allowed the citizens of Missouri counties to vote to collect a tax levy within their county to support local services for individuals with developmental disabilities.  When the voters of Jackson County approved the creation of our organization in 1976, our initial charter was to only provide support for sheltered workshops and residential programs for the persons who worked in the sheltered workshops.  Since 1976, the needs and treatment methodologies of individuals with developmental disabilities have changed, and the SB 40 statute has been modified several times since 1969 to allow for those changes.  Today, we support a variety of services and programs all designed to fill gaps in funding and to allow persons with developmental disabilities to live as normal and fulfilling a life as possible.