OUR HISTORY

i.d.entity.wa was established in 1977 by a small group of parents of people with intellectual disabilities, and other interested people.

They approached the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth for recognition and support, and when the first Constitution was drafted in 1981, the Church agreed to auspice its work. From 1977 to 1985, i.d.entity.wa was essentially a self-help group, providing informal services and spiritual supports to people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

The years 1985 to 2004 have seen the organisation grow from a budget of less than $0.5M to over $10M, and the (paid) staff numbers grow from 3 to over 300.

The range of services offered has grown as a response to diverse and changing needs, and the number of people able to access all services has grown rapidly.

Despite its high profile in the disability community, and its well-established reputation for quality services, i.d.entity.wa is not well-known - at the moment - in the wider Western Australian community. The Board of Governors has initiated a number of strategies to ensure that i.d.entity.wa gains a high profile in the future - in order to grow our services, and to attract much needed sponsorships, donations, and broad support for fundraising activities.