Cerebral Palsy Midlands is a registered charity based in Harborne, Birmingham. We are currently seeking volunteers to help us with our history and old documents. In the early days, we were known as MSA (Midland Spastic Association) and were founded in 1946 at Carlson House School, which was one of the first schools in the UK for children with cerebral palsy. Although the school no longer exists, we have a rich history around disability, the land in Harborne, and we are looking for support in documenting this in the right way 

The MSA was founded by three visionary individuals of their time period, Dr Earl Carlson, an educational professional from America who had cerebral palsy himself, Paul Cadbury who was living in Harborne at the time and had a daughter with cerebral palsy, and Stephen Quayle who was a local business owner for Kidderminster Carpets, and also had a son called Alisdair with cerebral palsy. 

Prior to 1946, there was no education for people with disabilities in the UK, but following the Second World War, a new Educational Reform Act came into play, which meant that everyone had the right to education. This led to a shift in learning for people with disabilities 

Volunteers will support the charity's photographic, library, and archive collection. This includes organizing, cataloguing, storing, digitizing, and disseminating the collection. 

Please complete the form below. Alternatively give Sarah Lilly a call on 0121 427 3182 option 3. 

Here are some images below of the Midland Spastic Association (MSA) in the 1960's.