In the 1976, a group of parents, all of who had a child with a disability, got to know each other and became mutually supportive.  Over time, they began to express the common need for their children to experience friendships and relationships with other children and their families.  They felt this would lead to a wider and safer social network in the future, as well as providing some of the natural respite that supportive friends often provide for each other’s children. They also recognized the qualities and gifts that their children would bring to the relationships. They identified the need for an “asker,” someone who could ask other families in the community to get to know and invite a child with a disability into their home.  In 1975, twelve families decided to develop a program that would employ an “asker,” and Extend-A-Family was born.