This panel exhibit in the Wilbur Avenue headquarters of Arc of Onondaga commemorates its 60th anniversary (1951-2011) as it revisits Arc’s historic and inspirational story.
Arc of Onondaga reached an important milestone in its 60th anniversary. But significantly, it is also linked to a much older legacy. Its Wilbur Avenue site in Syracuse occupies a portion of the historic grounds that once housed the first institution in the United States specifically constructed for the education and training of children with developmental disabilities. Previous to the opening of this “State Asylum” in 1855, such children might be relegated to a hidden life, or worse, confined to a crowded almshouse where they were simply fed and housed in poor conditions.