Who We Are

From our Director:

Ottia Phillips, Executive Director

Winston Churchhill said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” I am so fortunate to work with people who are building opportunities for others, and improving the lives of people in our community. I am constantly amazed by our staff, our board and volunteers and their willingness to live our mission. We are committed to improving and expanding our services across West Alabama. Thank you for your support and thank you for helping us improve the lives of the people we serve.

ESWA Board:
ESWA Board Members - click here

ESWA Staff:
ESWA Staff - click here

Our History

Easter Seals West Alabama had its modest beginnings as the former Tuscaloosa Rehabilitation Facility, which opened in 1959 with only four staff members and ten consumers.

West Alabama Rehabilitation Center's Board of Directors was organized in October 1967, and began planning for a new building and program of services to meet the needs of six counties in West Alabama. In 1985, the facility became known as West Alabama Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center, and in 1999 the facility again changed its name to Easter Seals West Alabama.

Through all the changes, Easter Seals West Alabama has remained true to its mission of serving children and adults with disabilities while maintaining a reputation for quality, comprehensive services.

For 25 consecutive years, the National Health Council has cited Easter Seals as the nationwide leader among its member voluntary non-profit health care organizations for the percentage of program dollars spent on direct client services.

People with disabilities.... lead lives just like people without disabilities.
They go to school, get married, work, have families, do laundry, grocery
shop, laugh, cry, pay taxes, get angry, have prejudices, vote, plan and
dream like everyone else. Stereotypes are hard to fight, especially for
people with disabilities.

Misconceptions.... may stem from attitudes and environmental barriers, rather than from someone's disability. Encourage participation of people
with disabilities in your community. When you visit restaurants or shopping malls, think about whether someone with a disability could be there with you. If not, discuss with the manager how a person with a disability could be a customer and the need for their business to be accessible to everyone.

1400 James I. Harrison, Jr. Pkwy East
Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
205-759-1211
eswa@eswaweb.org