Our History

We were founded in 1955 by Mrs Phyllis Edwards who formed a group of parents intent on providing better opportunities for their children with physical and learning disabilities.  Phyllis discovered untapped need, support and common purpose amongst other families in Poole & Bournemouth facing similar challenges and the charity was born.

How We Have Grown

The charity has grown steadily over the last 55 years.

Click image to view presentation of our 55 year history.

We are proud to be able to boast of having supported hundreds of adults and children over the years and it would not have been possible without the tenacity of Phyllis and her family.

We are very grateful to her for being given the opportunity to continue her good work.

1948

Marilyn Edwards was born.  It took two years for her disability to be diagnosed and Phyllis was told 'Put her away she will only be a cabbage.'

1955

As a result of Phyliss' continued determination 1955 saw the inauguration of Bournemouth and District Group National Spastic Society

1956

Despite having succumbed to pressures and sending Marilyn away to a large institution near Southampton in 1954 Phyllis fought on to get the support that she believed Marilyn rightly deserved.  Her determination paid off and February 23rd 1956 saw Stafford Road Rest Centre opened

1959

Three years later on the 23rd February 1959 the construction of Langside Centre, a special school for 15 children, commenced with the official opening taking place on the 31st October the same year.  Langside Centre is now Langside School supporting 30+ pupils with profound physical and learning disabilities

1972

Inevitably children become adults and so commenced the construction of Edward House, a residential care home,  to accommodate up to 16 adults 

1974

March 18th 1974 saw the first residents use it's facilities

1989

As it became evident that parents with children who have a disability sometimes need a break from the day to day challenges further children's services were developed.  Ensbury Park provided respite care for children to enable breaks to be taken

1992

Barnabas site purchased

1994

Barnabas centre (now Barnabas Day Opportunities) provided a place for adults with physical and/or learning disabilities to go to socialise, make friends and learn new skills. It is located on the old St Barnabas Church site hence the Barnabas name

1995

As the need for children's respite grew it became clear that the Stafford Road Rest Centre was not going to cater for every ones needs and in 1995 the service transferred to another location and Smithers service was born

1997

May 1997 saw the first of our name changes.  A name change that would reflect the services that we were continuing to offer and a new strap line to show how we wanted to approach supporting people with disabilities

'Breaking Disability Barriers

 Exploring New Horizons'.

An ethos that was to direct us for the next 13 years

2002

A change in social care climates saw the dawning of the closure of institutionalised residential care homes.  People were, and still are, provided the opportunity to live as independently as they are able within the community in their own homes.  Supported Living became a reality for the people that we were supporting at Edward House. Whilst it took several years for the project to be fully completed all residents that were at Edward House now live independently in their own homes in the local community

2005

As a result of an identified need for support to be provided in childrens' own homes a domiciliary service called Shapes was created

2010

The needs of the people we support have changed over the years; as a consequence services have been developed or adapted to accommodate these changes.  Following months of discussion with the people we support, staff and other stakeholders Dorset Scope became Diverse Abilities Plus.  The new name focuses on ability not disability with the programmes of support  that are developed reflecting this.  The spectrum of abilities of the people we support is diverse; our services therefore need to be as diverse to accommodate them.  Our new strap line of 'supporting,empowering and including' ensures our actions are driven by person-centred approaches to deliver tailor-made programmes of support