Our History

In the early 1950s, there was little help for parents of children with developmental disabilities. In 1955, the Helping Hand School was established to address such needs. We are grateful to the early pioneers, a small group of parents whose dedication and perseverance brought into fruition the extraordinary accomplishments of children and adults with disabilities who currently participate in the excellent programs and services of Helping Hand.

Today, Helping Hand Center is a not-for-profit community-based agency that serves approximately 400 children and adults with mild to severe disabilities.

Children's Services include an outpatient clinic with physical, speech, occupational and developmental therapy, early intervention services for 0-3 year olds, and our new Autism School and Autism Clinic.

Adult Services include day services, housing options in the community, social skills training, physical therapy, counseling, behavioral therapies, employment counseling, job placement, and independent living skills. More recently, we have expanded services for our adult clients to include horticulture, cooking, computer training, art, music, and recreation therapy.

SubCon Packing & Assembly, a division of Helping Hand, was established in 1962. Located at 10 North Beach Street in LaGrange Park, men and women from the community, including many of our adult clients, perform various packaging and assembly jobs that are subcontracted by local businesses.

Helping Hand recently celebrated our 50th Anniversary. Even as we grow and expand our services, our mission remains the same, “to assist persons with disabilities to achieve their highest level of independence through quality programs and services.”