Toledo Organizes for Children with Disabilities

Toledo Society for Crippled Children

The Toledo Society for Crippled Children was founded by the Rotary Club on December 10, 1920, for the “purpose of charitable care and treatment of crippled or otherwise physically defective children and of adults requiring orthopedic treatment; to establish, conduct, and maintain a home or hospital for said purposes.” The movement to aid children with disabilities would gain momentum over the years, resulting in the School for Crippled Children and the Crippled Children’s Home.

The Charles Feilbach School (The School for Crippled Children)

In 1917, Rotary Club president Charles Feilbach partnered with the Board of Education to establish a school for children with disabilities. The school began with just eight students but would continue to grow in size and opportunities.

The Crippled Children’s Home

In 1931, the Toledo Society for Crippled Children had raised enough money to remodel the Old Ladies Home on Collingwood Avenue, finally providing a convalescent home for children with disabilities. The Crippled Children’s Home was open to any deserving children, regardless of race, color, or creed, and it offered a variety of amenities, including sun porches, light treatment apparatuses, and a modern gymnasium. Within a year, the Crippled Children’s Home had 45 patients and a growing waitlist. By 1935, plans were underway to build a brand-new facility, complete with therapy rooms, manual and vocational training, and medical care. The Opportunity Home opened in 1937 and would serve the disability community of Toledo as both a school and hospital for the next several decades.