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Back in 1950 a small band of loving parents in Wollongong decided that their children with intellectual disabilities deserved a quality education close to home. Despite being refused repeatedly for funding by the Government, the parents persevered with their own fundraising and in 1953 Greenacres Special School opened with only 16 pupils.

By the late 1950s Greenacres School had grown significantly and parents were concerned about the lack of employment opportunities available to their children when they left school. Once again fundraising began in earnest and by 1963 a workshop had been built and school leavers were busy filling an order for 120 blackboards and easels.

Over the coming decades, Greenacres continued to be an innovative pioneer in disability services, constantly adapting and evolving with the needs of the people who used our services – the people we call our Greenacres family.

Today, Greenacres is one of the leading disability service providers in the region, providing services and programs from 24 different sites in Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Shoalhaven. Every week we support over 600 people to live the life they imagine.

From the initial little school back in 1953 to the multifaceted organisation we have today, every program and service has been developed with one goal in mind – enriching the lives of people with disability by giving them choice.

Our sites and services may have grown but the one thing that hasn’t changed since 1953 is that we want the very best for every person who walks through our doors. Over 67 years later, we are still the Greenacres family.

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