Edwards Center Inc. (founded 1972 in Oregon by author Dr. Jean Edwards), is a private, nonprofit organization serving adult Oregonians with developmental disabilities with 18 locations in both Washington County and Clackamas Counties. Prior to the 1970s, when few services existed for people with developmental disabilities, parents of children with disabilities faced a choice between the challenge of caring for their children at home without the support of public education or putting their children into institutions.