(gentle inspirational music) - Ready, set, woo.

- [Beth] There's a place in Pittsburgh where families go for help.

- Nice shot.

- [Beth] When life takes an unexpected turn.

- I couldn't do everything that I used to be able to do.

(gentle inspirational music) - I would have been in a downward spiral if I would've had to be able to figure it all out myself.

(gentle inspirational music) - [Beth] For more than a century, the Children's Institute of Pittsburgh has held an important place here and around the globe.

- We literally wrote the book on best care practices.

- One, two, three.

- [Beth] From physical and occupational rehabilitation, to groundbreaking advances in brain injury therapy, even to the development of a vaccine that changed the world, it is all written in the history of the Institute.

- It started with one child and one story.

- That accident was a terrible thing to happen to my father.

- [Beth] And then, a compassionate woman stepped in.

- It was started by a woman and it was led by women.

- It's truly a history of Pittsburgh and the great families of Pittsburgh.

- [Beth] Living in that history are the children and the workers who are helping them to thrive.

(gentle inspirational music) - The Children's Institute, for us, was a lifesaver.

- It's a place of hope and healing.

(gentle inspirational music) - Oh, okay.

I wanna show you a picture of my dad and my sisters.

I keep this in my wallet all the time.

- [Beth] It's just a small black and white photo, but it holds a story that lives at the very heart of Pittsburgh history.

(gentle music) The father in that photo is Emile Terrenoire.

He became the Children's Institute's very first patient when he suffered a catastrophic injury.

(train whistle blowing) In 1902, when he was five, he and his siblings were on a train with their mother traveling home to Pittsburgh from Canada, where they attended the funeral of their father who had been killed in a mining accident.

Little Emile was running between the cars and fell through.

(train wheels clacking) - He fell out and fell under the train, and the train wheels ran over him and sealed his legs, and that's what kept him alive, because he didn't bleed to death.

- [Beth] Both legs were severed above the knee.

He spent weeks at Children's Hospital.

And when it was time to release him, a nurse worried that his widowed mother would not be able to take care of him.

The nurse reached out to Mary Irwin Laughlin, an heir to the Jones and Laughlin Steel fortune.

Mary had no children of her own at the time, but she was determined to help.

She secured a building in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood, hired staff, and welcomed Emile as the first patient.

- This was pre women having the right to vote, and that really just puts into context how much it would've taken for her to go out, solicit donations, organize an entire philanthropy and charity around a need in the city of Pittsburgh.

- [Beth] Mary Irwin Laughlin was Liz MacDougall's great-great aunt.

And although she never knew her, Liz can trace Mary's influence through the decades.

From the start, and for the next 87 years, the Institute's leadership were all women, until 1989, when the first man became chairman of the board.

- That was, as we all know, very rare when it comes to organizations.

I think what's really amazing and what was built out of this from the legacy of what women can do for a community, is the effort that women put into pulling other people into a fold.

(gentle music) - [Beth] By the end of the first year, the home had eight patients receiving medical care, schooling, and occupational training.

The home would move to Squirrel Hill and not only grow in size, but also in ways to heal.

- Its children with developmental delay, developmental coordination disorders, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury.

We participate in research.

We collaborate with local universities in terms of clinical education and promoting that research.

- [Beth] The prosthetics and braces used at first seem primitive now.

- So this is just an old metal and leather brace, and it does not have a hinge joint at the knee so that the individual wearing this would not have been able to bend their knee.

- [Beth] Wooden legs helped Emile get around, but it wasn't easy.

- That were very, very heavy.

And he had to strap them around his chest and over his shoulders to hold them on.

He walked with two canes, and when he came home, he never wore his legs at home.

- [Beth] He didn't bother to wear the wooden legs when he tried out for a town baseball team and made it.

How did he get the first base?

- Put his hands down, swing his body, put his hands down, swing his body, and he would get it there.

- He was very happy all of his life.

The only thing I ever heard him complain about, he said he'd like to dance.

Well, he couldn't dance with no leg.

- [Beth] Emile worked as an elevator operator at Children's Hospital.

- And he loved his job, and I rode on the elevator with him sometimes when I was little.

We'd come home from school, and then the people would come to see him.

- [Dorothy] We always had kids that would have- - [Joan] No arms, no legs, whatever, whatever disability they had, but they were all friends, because they were- - They were all from the same place.

- Daddy was just Daddy.

- Yeah, yeah.

- We never thought of people as being crippled.

- And they were just people.

(gentle inspirational music) - [Beth] Emile died when he was 75.

A life long and happy.

It served as an example.

What started as a place to heal one broken little boy... (gentle inspirational music) Now helps hundreds of children every day.

- That accident was a terrible thing to happen to my father, but look how many people have been taken care of, and healed, and thousands of them, and it's all because it was maybe meant to be.

(gentle inspirational music) (machine whirring) - [Beth] The first years of the 20th century were not easy ones for children.

As the children's home was moving from East Liberty to its present location, the hospital beds and therapy rooms were filled with children who had been injured while working.

(machines clanking) - Well, there were no labor laws.

Not only the conditions, but, more importantly, the ages at which you were allowed to go into the mines.

(gentle music) - [Beth] In the early 1900s, 18% of all workers in the U.S. were under the age of 16, with some as young as four years old.

In the Pittsburgh region, children worked grueling 50-hour weeks in coal mines and glass factories.

Work that was dangerous for adults was even more treacherous for children.

Lost and damaged limbs were common.

(gentle music) - So that was probably the first good 15 years that children came to us with injuries, and so we, you know, wrapped educational services around them, we had a vocational focus around the services that we provided, and then being able to offer rehabilitative services as well.

- [Beth] The first decade of the new century brought efforts at reform, but it wasn't until 1916 that the first federal child labor law was enacted.

And by then, the children's home was seeing patients with different needs.

By 1919, most of the home's patients were recovering from infantile paralysis, that infectious virus the world would soon know as polio.

- And so that's where they really started to look at physical therapy, and occupational therapy, and speech therapy, and developing aquatic therapies for children in our community.

- [Beth] That pool is still in use today, not for children recovering from polio, but for those needing physical and occupational therapy.

- I think one of the things that's very helpful with water is it allows us to be in a different space, a different sensory environment.

- All right, go for it, kick, kick, kick.

- [Nathan] Kids may be able to move their limbs a little bit easier.

We're able to work on different strengthening exercises that we're not necessarily able to do on land.

It's not something that happens in one big splashy moment.

- Woo!

- But it happens every single day when we're with these kids.

(gentle inspirational music) - [Beth] Polio brought suffering for the next 40 years until a breakthrough focused the attention of the world on Pittsburgh.

Dr. Jonas Salk was developing a polio vaccine.

- [Narrator] Randy was the first child to receive an injection of Salk polio vaccine in the field trials in 1954.

- [Wendy] He came to the Children's Institute, and many of the kids that were here receiving services were able to participate in those early trials.

- [Narrator] Vaccination now will save lives from death or paralysis this year.

(gentle music) - [Beth] The trials were a success.

And, in 1955, the vaccine was approved, and children everywhere lined up for the shot.

And while the world exhaled with relief, the Institute continued to help those for whom the vaccine did not come soon enough.

What is it about Pittsburgh do you think?

- Oh, Pittsburgh, one, we're scrappy.

(laughs) (gentle inspirational music) There's a work ethic that runs through our region and definitely runs through our organization, that our team is unrelenting in the pursuit of outcomes for kids and families.

They do not rest.

(gentle inspirational music) (camera shutter clicking) (gentle music) - [Davanna] I feel it's so important for me to be able to capture life's moment for other people.

(gentle music) - [Beth] Davanna Feyrer is a budding photographer with a good eye.

- I saw this praying mantis, and so I decided to get down in the grass and take pictures of him.

And it was cool because he stayed there for a long time.

It was like he was saying to me, "Take a picture, I'm posing for you."

- [Beth] That Davanna is thriving as an artist, indeed that she's here at all, is the result of a lot of faith and hard work and help from the Children's Institute.

- They taught me how to talk again.

They taught me how to run again.

They taught me a lot of different things.

- [Beth] Her story goes back to when she was 10, January of 2009.

- That was a snowy night.

And it came to the green light and the light was green, and as we proceeded through, we were T-boned by an 18 wheeler that really couldn't navigate in the snow and ran the red light.

(gentle music) - [Beth] Davanna had suffered a traumatic brain injury.

After a month in the ICU at Children's Hospital, she was transferred to the Children's Institute to begin seven months of intensive rehab, including physical, occupational, and speech therapies.

Fortunately, for Davanna, she had landed in a place that has been at the leading edge of therapy for brain injury.

Decades before, doctors at the Institute formalized new brain injury therapies, approaches that would be adopted by rehab teams across the country.

(gentle inspirational music) Her mother remembers the day Davanna communicated for the first time.

- Sometimes I would get discouraged like, "Okay, come on, you need to start moving."

All of a sudden, she just reached up to the keyboard and started typing her name.

I was speechless, 'cause I didn't know that she had it in her.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Beth] Davanna became a bit of a celebrity around the Institute, starring in media campaigns.

- [Minetta] We were in a terrible car accident.

Our daughter, Davanna, suffered a traumatic brain injury.

We were told she might not live, let alone smile again, but we never gave up hope.

And, thankfully, the Children's Institute never gave up on her.

- My life changed forever in the blink of an eye.

- [Beth] Five years after the accident, she spoke of her progress in a speech.

- I found strength to overcome and I am getting better.

- [Beth] She graduated from high school and earned a college degree.

(gentle inspirational music) (gentle inspirational music) (camera shutter clicking) - They equipped me with the skills I needed to be where I am today.

(gentle inspirational music) - They realized the vital part that you, the family member, has in keeping this person growing and developing.

(gentle upbeat music) The whole idea of never giving up on yourself as well, and just keep trying all these extra like the therapies that they gave her, and just keeping going in that direction, 'cause I think that without love and support, and that makes a whole difference, and you could feel that there.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Beth] Have you thought about how the Children's Institute has been helpful not only to you, but to your mom and your dad?

Have you thought about what it has done for them?

- I think it gave them hope when there was none.

(camera shutter clicking) (gentle music) (gentle music) - [Beth] Look at the old photos of the first children's home, and you get stuck on that outdated word, crippled.

As it progressed through the 20th century, the Institute helped to reinvent the way we discuss disability.

- [Narrator] Amazing kids by any standard.

- I will be amazing.

- [Beth] Working to fight the stigma both in the treatment of those with disabilities and in the words used to describe them.

- [Narrator] And celebrate the progress of each child.

- My teacher knows I will do more.

- And more.

- And still more.

- I think it's a lot more accepting in this country and this world.

- [Beth] Here in Pennsylvania, one prominent local family helped to bring about those changes.

When Peter Thornburgh was a baby, he sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car accident that took the life of his mother.

Peter was the son of Dick Thornburgh, a two-term governor of Pennsylvania.

He remarried to Ginny, an advocate for people with disabilities, and she took young Peter to the Institute.

Eventually, Governor Thornburgh would become the U.S. Attorney General.

And while in that job, he and Ginny led a fight for Peter and others like him.

- He picked up the baton from her.

And because of his role, was able to be a very persistent champion of this cause.

- [Beth] And, in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law.

- This was landmark legislation, because it put in place protections and a support network for people with disabilities that had not existed before, and that was all driven by what they saw Peter benefiting from.

- [Beth] Peter died in 2022, after a long and full life.

- [John] He learned to swim, learned to ride a bicycle, learned to take the bus by himself.

So, over the years, we drew on that to see what you can do if you are persistent, and that was what Peter was.

(gentle inspirational music) - A lot of our students have a lot of sensitivity to light, so a lot of our hallways, it's more dimmed.

So we try to keep it more warming, earth tones, just kind of more inviting for them to be more relaxed.

John the Owl, Arctic or ocean?

- Arctic.

- That's right.

- [Beth] The Special Wing was created in 2006 to meet a growing need in the community.

This is a classroom for students on the autism spectrum, a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, and learn.

- Honestly, making sure my kids have a fun day.

They love to come into school every day.

Making sure that they feel safe and comfortable focusing on, like, emotions.

That is a huge thing that I have my students work on in my classroom is acknowledging, like, if I'm crying, I'm sad, if I'm smiling, I feel happy, and trying to acknowledge those things and trying also for them to express, 'cause a lot of the times they can't.

(device beeping) - That's one of your favorite songs?

- No.

(everyone laughing) - [Beth] Doctors here developed assistive communication technologies to help students, including those on the spectrum and others.

(device beeps) - Whoa.

- [Beth] The first came in the 1980s, when Dr. Mark Friedman invented the EyeTyper, which allowed children to communicate using eye motions.

From there, the technology kept growing.

- Tell them your name one more time, bud, 'cause we have the volume up a little bit more.

- [Device] My name is Bradley.

- Bradley!

- Hello, Bradley.

- Many of our students here have complex communication needs.

They may have limited verbal skills or maybe nonverbal.

They can go to greetings and say... - [Device] Hi.

- Hi.

- [Device] Hi, how are you?

- How are you?

And really communicate with their peers.

And then, we can go to the word lists, and we can find places, and we can say, I go... - [Device] Bathroom.

- I go to the bathroom.

And a kiddo can make a request for that.

- We need to go to Target.

- Give you some money?

- [Beth] Before there was assistive technology.

- What you gonna spend it on?

- [Beth] There were smiles, and hands, and sign language.

- We ain't been to Target in a minute.

- [Beth] Satchel Heidelberg was born with a congenital disability that limits her speech.

- She started at the Children's Institute when she was two years and 10 months old, which I think was the youngest child enrolled ever.

She spent 18 years there.

So she really learned everything she needed to be functional when she graduated.

So, I mean, now she stays at home by herself at times.

She does everything but cook for herself.

I think it was the skill, but I think it was also the teachers there have a love, and compassionate, and heart, and they love these kids, and the kids know it.

And I think having a school where all the kids are dealing with the same types of issues makes it easier for the kids to learn, because then they see other kids like themselves and it lets them know that they're not alone.

But, like Satchel, she honestly does not think that she has any special needs.

She just thinks she's Satchel, and that's who she is, and all the rest of it is just whatever.

Who you love?

How much?

Say it loud.

- Mom.

- Give me a kiss.

(gentle music) - [Beth] In March of 2020, the Institute, like the rest of the world, was tossed a curve, the pandemic arrived.

Bringing with it the question of how to continue the work.

- And so quickly pivoting and watching our team be able to be nimble.

(soft bright music) - [Beth] Within four days, they switched to telehealth.

(soft bright music) - We had to move pretty quickly to get most of our therapy departments and our school ready for telehealth and remote services.

- [Beth] Bill Martin Jr. has a family legacy here.

- My mom, Marie Martin, started working here back in 1975.

She encouraged me to apply for a job here back in 1986, and I've been here 38 years.

Watching the kids and the patients grow and develop... - Cookies.

- Yeah!

- [William] It gives you a feeling that you can't get anywhere else.

(soft bright music) - [Beth] Spend a day here and you'll see that feeling is rampant.

In speech therapy... - Trolley.

- Trolley.

- Hold that tongue back.

- Trolley.

- Trolley.

- Trolley.

- [Teacher] That's better.

- [Beth] And physical therapy.

- [Teacher] Good job!

- [Beth] In aquatic and occupational therapy.

- [Teacher] Wow!

- [Beth] And at the day school.

- [Device] "Card Sharks."

- He loves "Card Sharks."

He's a big TV fan, game shows, huh?

- Give him a fist bump.

- [Beth] What makes you happy after a day of work here?

- Yeah.

So you kind of get to see them grow.

Like, oh my god, last year this kid would never speak up with us or ask for anything.

And now, every second, they're asking for something different.

So it's really cool to see them kind of develop and mature throughout the year.

- [Beth] On the side of the main campus is a building that houses a lesser known part of the Institute.

The Family Services team facilitates court-ordered visits between foster children and their birth parents.

- We were able to open this facility to really bring kids and families into what felt like home.

So kids, you know, walk in, it feels normal, it feels like a living room, feels like a kitchen, feels like a bathroom.

And it actually better allows us to be able to teach parenting skills, and that is something that is priceless, because there is nothing more life changing than being with your birth family.

- Hi, Jason.

- Hi, Allison.

- [Beth] At the other side of this campus, you'll find Jason Falgione making the rounds delivering packages.

Years ago, he was a student here, an example of the Institute's ongoing commitment to its patients.

He's been working here for 38 years.

- Clean up the playground each day, rake leaves in the fall, and take boxes and packages around.

(clarinet music) I sang in the student chorus.

- [Beth] He first came to love music here and he still does.

He's usually too busy to play clarinet at work, but we asked him to play for us just this once.

(clarinet music) (clarinet music continues) (gentle inspirational music) As it marked its 122nd year, the Children's Institute was helping more than 8,000 children and families each year, adding to the tens of thousands that have been helped and healed since the start.

And although the need has changed, the patients have not.

- Children are still children, right?

We are always looking for the next innovation or the next technique that's going to work.

- [Beth] That commitment and expertise have brought recognition far beyond Pittsburgh.

Children everywhere have been helped, even saved, by the research that happened here.

Look around and you'll see the happy results.

And how are you?

- Really good.

(gentle inspirational music) - Each one of those milestones for them is humongous.

(gentle inspirational music) - To be able to partner with the child and the family in that journey, And then, to hear, you know, years later about how well they're all doing.

- It's an awesome feeling to know that you had a part of that child's life.

- [Jackie] It definitely gave me a lot of hope.

- [Beth] Mary Irwin Laughlin eventually left Pittsburgh, moved to New England, married, and had three daughters of her own.

But, first, she did something for a little boy that changed the lives of countless children.

- We're protective of that history, and that calls upon all of us to make sure that we are walking in and doing our absolute best to make sure that we're adding to that history in the best way possible.

(gentle inspirational music) - I think he'd be very, very proud and very happy of everything that's gone on.

(gentle inspirational music) - [Beth] Emile went right on living and he started this great big family.

But, first, he set in motion something even bigger, something life changing, and so very good.

(gentle inspirational music) - Ta-da!

(gentle music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music ending)