Prior to 1947, there was no system of supports in Canada or the United States for children with intellectual disabilities. At that time, children with an I.Q. less than 50 were not allowed to attend school. The only option provided was institutionalism.Donald Frisby was a teacher at Queen Elizabeth Public School in Kirkland Lake and one of his responsibilities was to administer I.Q. tests and, by law, he was to exclude those who tested at less than 50. He found this very upsetting and became convinced that something had to be done.A committee was formed and through persistence, the Premier of Ontario authorized an experimental class in Kirkland Lake with a grant of $10 per month per pupil. On April 14, 1947, the class opened in the basement of the Trinity Church.Over the next few years, the Ontario Association for Retarded Children was formed and 8 chartered organizations across Ontario had joined. Our organization became the ninth chartered member and in 1953, Kirkland Lake was able to send voting members to the first meeting of the Ontario Association for the Mentally Retarded in Toronto more... See more text