In April of 1965, Mrs. Rachel Howard, a grandmother of a young boy who was experiencing significant learning difficulties as a regular student in the City of Buffalo Schools, contacted Dr. Robert Warner at the Children’s rehabilitation Center seeking help for her
grandson. Dr. Warner suggested that her grandson might have a learning disability. This condition was not widely recognized by local school districts, even though research was beginning to show that the disability might affect as many as 1 out of every 7 students in school. With Dr. Warner’s assistance, Mrs. Howard
agreed to help establish a small support group for parents of children with suspected learning disabilities.
As part of these efforts, Dr. Warner contacted the New York Association for Brain Injured Children requesting information on learning disabilities. NYABIC not only provided the Buffalo group with information, but also agreed to come to Buffalo and meet Mrs. Howard and the other parents. Shortly after this meeting NYABIC formally invited the Buffalo group to join the state wide organization as its Western New York Chapter and the Western New York Association for Children with Disabilities was created.
Within a five year period, the new chapter grew from its original nine members to nearly 500. Much credit belongs to Mrs. Howard and the other original parents of the Buffalo group, whose time and dedication created the strong foundation for today’s Learning Disabilities Association.
Today, the agency receives funding from a variety of sources and is unique in its service to the learning disabled population. LDA of WNY continues to be an affiliate of the LDA of NYS and the LDA of America and to participate in lobbing efforts for the learning disabled. The majority of the Board of Directors continues to be parents and individuals with learning disabilities. They remain dedicated to the initial population and focus. The goal of the agency is to challenge and encourage the LD/NI population to successfully live truly integrated and productive lives and to accomplish this through the least restrictive environment.
