Becky Dowling: A Life Dedicated to Adults with Disabilities

In the 16 years that has been in existence, Becky Dowling seen five marriages among people who met at her non-profit. She’s seen clients who have come in completely non-verbal develop language and social skills. And she’s seen scores of adults who would normally stay at home alone and frustrated dance their hearts out on Caribbean cruises.

Dowling’s company provides social and practical support for “high-functioning” adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities—something that is difficult to come by for many. Of the seven to eight million people living with intellectual or developmental disabilities in the U.S., just 1.5 million are children, according to a June 2011 survey from the Arc that looked at support for these individuals.

The survey found that 85 percent of the adults were not employeed and that 75 percent of families supporting those with disabilities said they "can’t find afterschool care, non-institutional community services, trained reliable home care providers, summer care, residential, respite and other services."

Dowling says that adults particularly fall between the cracks. “People love to help and donate to programs for children with disabilities,” said Dowling. “But they forget that those children grow up and they still need the same things. They are still 12. What’s next? What’s the plan?” 

With 250 clients and 60 employees, Dowling’s group homes and daytime programs try to answer that question in a way that few other programs in the country have. The homes in Roswell and Lilburn provide a permanent place for the adults to live with supervision and support—and they get to have their own apartment and their own budget for groceries. Dowling herself lives at one of the facilities, and says she enjoys the family atmosphere. 

The Norcross area daytime facility hosts clients during the day, putting on cooking classes, outings, dances and more. It gives the adults a place to simply be together and be productive. “A lot of the people that come here live in foster homes or with their families,” said Dowling. “They just have nowhere to go during the day.”

And they take trip every year that the clients clearly love: The evidence hangs in the Norcross facility on a wall of photos of clients beaming, posed on an Alaskan cruise or a beach in Puerto Rico or at Disneyland. Last year, Dowling took 109 adults with developmental disabilities on a Caribbean cruise with her “Just” People staff.

Dowling found the need for this type of work through her own life. Her father had a mental disability and very rarely got out, she said. “He would lie down in the back seat when we left the house because he didn’t want to see other people,” Dowling said. “But he was a kind man, a sweet man. I told him, ‘Daddy, I’m going to do something different. I’m going to change the world.’ And he said, ‘Just do it within a five mile radius of the house.’” 

The second inspiration for Dowling’s work was also highly personal. Throughout her life, Dowling has worked with various people with disabilities. When her own kids were in high school and college, it was part-time work with non-profits, including a short stint working with adults that left a lasting impact.

“I really found the need for socialization,” Dowling said. “They were so lonely.” She said the non-profit would go into their homes to help them—but that they didn’t just need to be taken care of at home. They needed to get out. “They had no life—nothing to look forward to,” she said.

The work snowballed. When she moved on from the non-profit she was involved with, a small group of clients implored her to do something. They met as a small group, working on social skills and have group dinner meetings. 

Dowling’s daughter, who has a degree in special education, came down from Tennessee to help her out. One day they were sitting at the kitchen table brainstorming. “My daughter said, ‘All my life, you always told me they were “just people”—now they’re “special people.” Why is that?’ ’’

The name was born—and the first event was held just a few weeks later, a Halloween party. “Somehow I didn’t notice that ‘Just People,’ which I looked at as an extended family, had become a program,” Dowling wrote in a biography she hands out to her employees. 

Indeed, the non-profit is still a family affair. Her husband runs the “Just” People facilities while her daughters, son and daughter-in-law all also work there. And the clients consider themselves a family, too. 

On a recent afternoon, Felicia, a long-time client, ran into Dowling’s office, excited to announce that it was time for her birthday cake. Though it was her 39th birthday, Felicia was mistaken about the cake, which would happen at home. An impromptu dance party did ensue, with a rendition of “Celebrate Good Times” on full blast, Dowling beaming with approval. She loves that her clients don’t have the stresses and hang-ups that other people often do.

“There’s not a day that where I don’t think, 'oh God, look what we’ve done. Look who we’ve helped',” said Dowling, teary-eyed at the size of the accomplishment. “I see them standing there on a Saturday, interacting with each other and I think: They have a life.”

Yes, Dowling is with her clients on Saturday. She’s with them on Sunday, too. When she’s not there, she’s lost. “I call it my church,” she said, laughing.