Our mission is to provide a comprehensive program of rehabilitative care to Oklahoma's children with developmental disabilities, from birth to age 21.

Our history

Our center was created to offer help and hope to children with developmental disabilities. Here are some of our key moments:

• In 1946, the 40 et 8 of Oklahoma, a veterans' organization, founded our center to offer treatment to children with cerebral palsy. The idea grew from a member of the 40 et 8 who had a grandson with cerebral palsy. The family was looking for services in the state to help the child but found few resources. The grandfather talked with fellow members of the 40 et 8, who were then motivated to create a facility that could assist children with cerebral palsy. The center has expanded its mission through the years to offer services to children with a variety of developmental disabilities.
• The first facility operated out of a building on the U. S. Navy’s former South Base in Norman, now the south campus of the University of Oklahoma. 
• The first patient was admitted in 1947.
• The center takes its name from the late J.D. McCarty, a state legislator whose support helped pave the way for the center’s expansion and designation as a state agency in 1948.
• In 1952, the center moved to a new building at 1125 E. Alameda St.
• In 1993, the center was licensed as a specialized pediatric rehab hospital.
• In 2001, the center changed its clinical care model from a cerebral palsy focus to a broader model encompassing a wide variety of diagnoses.
• In 2004, the center moved to its current location at 2002 E. Robinson St. on an 80-acre campus.

Our leadership

The Cerebral Palsy Commission is the governing board of directors for our center.
Commissioners are appointed by the governor of Oklahoma to serve on the five-member board. Members are appointed to three-year terms and can be reappointed by the governor for an additional term.
Commissioners include members of the 40 et 8, the veterans' organization that founded the center.

State of Oklahoma Maternal and Child Health Services Needs Assessment 2015-2020 [PDF]

State of Oklahoma Maternal and Child Health Services Needs Assessment 2021-2025 [PDF]