Our Roots: Building Inclusion from the Start –
ICS was created by a group of parents who wanted to provide their children with loving care at home while ensuring inclusion in the public education system. At the time, the government did not take responsibility for educating children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), so parents took matters into their own hands—creating classrooms and resisting institutionalization.
In 1952, Eileen Cusack (née Jones) and Dorothy Hayens (née Kerr), with support from Chilliwack’s health unit, opened a school in the basement of Carman United Church. Both were strong advocates for deinstitutionalization, recognizing that facilities isolated children from society, fostered harmful stigmas, and denied a child’s right to family and community.
As a parent, Eileen sought medical and social advice for years, believing her child deserved opportunities to gain education and experience as part of the community. Dorothy was thrilled to send her 8-year-old son, Bruce Hayens, to the school and joined as a teacher.
This grassroots effort marked the beginning of ICS’s commitment to inclusion—a legacy that continues today.