Ramsey County History – Fall 2015: “ALLY People Solutions: 50 Years of Service to Individuals and the Community”

ALLY People Solutions: 50 Years of Service to Individuals and the Community
Author: Eileen R. McCormack

ALLY People Solutions, a St. Paul nonprofit corporation that serves people in the community with disabilities, traces its roots to a small group of parents who opened a Day Activity Center (DAC) in 1965 for their adult children who had intellectual disabilities so that they might have social interaction with their peers. Drawing on documentary records, author Eileen McCormack shares how people in Minnesota with intellectual, physical, or mental health challenges were institutionalized and isolated from society throughout the first two thirds of the twentieth century. Change came slowly. The Merriam Park DAC, ALLY’s precursor, was begun by parents at Christ Child School. Although this DAC initially emphasized socialization of its participants, over time, it came to focus on helping those with disabilities to acquire living and job skills as steps toward earning a wage and living independently. In 1985, Merriam Park DAC became Midway Training Services (MTS) and moved to a larger facility to serve its growing number of participants. As MTS grew, it moved again, expanded its core programs, and, in 2013, changed its name to ALLY People Solutions. Today, ALLY depends on both staff members and volunteers to carry out its mission.
PDF of McCormack article