When we began in 1953, for many people who had intellectual (or developmental) disabilities, community living was a dream. It was an objective yet to be realized. Until they finally closed in 2009, some still lived apart in Ontario government institutions. Others were physically in, but had little connection to the community around them - as children, they were in segregated classrooms or in schools far away from the neighborhood children who were their peers; as adults, they were often excluded from opportunities to join the workforce. At all ages, many faced physical and social barriers that kept them from participating in the social and economic world around them. more... See more text