Skip to Content

The (Fredericksburg, Va.) Free Lance-Star

Community care urged for the disabled

Charles Cooper had never heard of Down syndrome in 1958, when his 2-week-old son was diagnosed with the disability.

Cooper trusted the doctor when he said his son would do best in an institution. So Cooper went to a Fredericksburg judge and signed commitment papers.

But then he visited some of the training centers. And Cooper decided that his son deserved better.