About 60 years ago, a handful of parents responded to a two-line classified ad from the harried mother of a mentally challenged 5-year-old. Their small group expanded from New York State to become the Association for the Help of Retarded Children, now known simply as AHRC.
On Thursday, October 8, AHRC celebrated the tremendous strides that have been made for people with developmental disabilities to live independently with the dedication of the Jimmy O’Neil Residence in Fresh Meadows.
O’Neil was a member of the first “generation” of individuals with developmental disabilities to move into an AHRC group home after the organization opened the first such residence in the state in 1970.
At the ceremony in front of the house, located at 73-64 194th Street, was AHRC Board Member, former President and Jimmy’s mother, Genevieve O’Neil. AHRC bylaws state that two-thirds of the Board of Directors must be relatives of persons with developmental disabilities.
“Though Jimmy passed away in 2003 at age 46, his legacy lives on,” a spokesperson said in a written statement.
In addition to the namesake residence, Jimmy Club, an after-school recreational program for persons with developmental disabilities, “continues to grow in size and location each year.”
AHRC currently serves 13,000 individuals with developmental disabilities, and their families, with 21 residences, a respite house, three adult day centers, an employment program, Queens HIRE, and the Astoria Blue Feather School located throughout Queens,
“The vivid memory of that time, not too long ago, when individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities were marginalized and segregated outside the community, has been an under-lying force propelling AHRC,” the spokesperson said.
For additional information about AHRC, visit www.ahrcnyc.org.
