Eunice Kennedy Shriver writes an article for the Saturday Evening Post based on her family’s own experience, entitled “Hope for Retarded Children”, which spurred the fight against a widely misunderstood affliction.

Read the entire article here

Mental Retardation and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act, originally Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) which authorized federal grants for construction of public/ nonprofit community health centers, signed into law by President John F. Kennedy.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first civil rights legislation in the United States designed to protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination based on their disability status.

Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, requires all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities.

Anthony Kennedy Shriver founded the original Best Buddies Chapter at Georgetown University.

Read the full article from Georgetown’s The Hoya newspaper about Best Buddies and Anthony K. Shriver.

History of the Best Buddies Keith Haring Logo

The iconic Best Buddies logo that features two individuals in an embrace was donated to Best Buddies in the late 1980s from legendary pop-artist, Keith Haring.

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Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on January 19, 1989, Best Buddies_® becomes America’s first national, unified, social, and recreational program for people with intellectual disabilities.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is signed into law by President George Bush. The ADA is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability.

The Best Buddies Fine Art Collection is developed, featuring masterpieces by Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Rauschenberg.

Launch of Best Buddies Citizens, with the goal of pairing adults with intellectual disabilities with their non-disabled working peers.