Northwest Center

Mission

To promote the growth, development, and independence of people with disabilities through programs of therapy, education, and work opportunity.

Description

Northwest Center was founded in 1965 by four Seattle moms who changed the world. When their kids with disabilities were rejected from school, they started their own. They wrote the first law in the nation guaranteeing public education to children with disabilities. They went on to help write the federal law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which made public education possible for every child in the U.S.

Today, we are just as determined to innovate, educate, and advocate for a more inclusive world. Northwest Center provides comprehensive, disability-inclusive services from cradle through career: Early Supports for children birth to 3, inclusive Early Learning, Employment Services for adults with disabilities, and training and consultation to empower businesses and educators to provide inclusive classrooms, workplaces, and communities. Our Social Enterprise businesses that provide services including office staffing, janitorial, and commercial printing also employ people with and without disabilities.

Northwest Center is living proof: When people of all abilities learn and work together, everyone benefits.