History

 

In the fall of 1991, two parents were brought together because of their special needs children. By January 1992, they had not only become friends, but had begun the long, sometimes overwhelming, road of pursuing improved services not only for their own children with special needs but for all persons with special needs and their families.

Many, many hours of brainstorming ideas and fact-finding meetings brought them to the decision to form a non-profit resource center. The center was formally named Access for Special Kids Resource Center (ASK). ASK Resource Center would serve persons with special needs, their families as well as the professional community.

This commitment began to grow! The two parents recruited others, formed a board of directors and began to loan materials and answer the phones from their homes.

As the community needs grew, the original ASK board realized the center was more than they could handle on a volunteer, part-time basis. About that time, a congressional staff member requested that they consider taking on the responsibility of applying for the Parent Training and Information (PTI) grant. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Through the years, ASK has taken on new community partners, projects and challenges. We continue to build on our early vision of being a one-stop-shop to provide information and resources to individuals with disabilities and their families.

Through coordinated efforts, ASK partner organizations engage in a wide variety of activities and outreach efforts to all parts of the state of Iowa.