Beginnings

Beginnings

Prior to 1960, individuals with intellectual disabilities had very limited options...

They either lived with their families or in state-run institutions. There was limited access to schools or other activities that allowed them to live as included members of their home community. This situation was reflected in communities all across South Carolina. In 1960 a group of dedicated Rock Hill citizens started to change the status quo. Locally run and privately funded small programs started to be developed to meet the needs of families.

In 1962, The York County ARC was formed. The ARC provided services and more importantly, community education about the needs of this special group of citizens. As a result of changing mindsets and greater education, more people became involved in these efforts. Camp ARC, Betty Smith Kindergarten and New Horizons were developed.


The York County Board of Disabilities and Special Needs was created in June 1980, through a 1974 statute enacted through a 1978 York County ordinance, to provide services to individuals with special needs in York County. In 1993, the score of services was expanded to include Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury and Autism. The agency is not a state agency- rather a contracting agency to the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs.

In 2016, the Board decided to rebrand its name to put the agency’s mission front and center. MaxAbilities of York County combines the two keywords in the agency’s mission statement: Maximize Abilities. In 2017, the Board moved to formalize the brand name as the new name of the agency. The county was petitioned and the county ordinance was amended making MaxAbilities of York County, the formal agency name. Now our mission statement and our name are one and the same.

 From 1980 until today, MaxAbilities- in all its forms- has developed a wide array of community services for eligible individuals. Since its inception, the Agency has assisted numerous individuals in accessing needed services and developing fuller, richer lives in their home community.

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