The 50th anniversary of the Arc of Douglas County is a wonderful opportunity to honor the role this organization has played in the lives of so many local families and individuals.

The organization started as nine couples who were seeking more opportunities for their children with developmental disabilities. This was a time when such children either were placed in institutions or hidden at home. There were no services in the public schools. The organization was known as the Association for Retarded Citizens, a term that now is considered derogatory.

Lyman and Bryona Wiley were among the founding couples and were seeking services for their son, Ted, now 60. “The big effort,” Lyman Wiley recalled, “was to bring these individuals and families out of the closet so that they could have a life.”

Fifty years later the situation for people with developmental disabilities is very different, in large part, because of the couples who not only founded Arc but worked with many other community members on such efforts as Cottonwood Inc., group homes, Parks and Recreation programs and other services.

Their work has gone a long way toward improving both opportunities and acceptance for people with developmental disabilities and clearing the way for them to be active members of our community.