The Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled (BAPD) came about at the request of young people with spinal cord injuries who were tired of lying at home, rarely visited by friends once discharged from the hospital. They wanted their mobility back.

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In May of 1977, an initial meeting was held with the late Dr. Granville Bain, Orthopedic Consultant at The Princess Margaret Hospital, the late Dave Smalley, Kiwanian, and a wheelchair user, Phyllis Aldridge, the then Director of The Bahamas Red Cross, John Sands, Brian Rolle, and other wheelchair users. They were initially called The Bahamas Paraplegic Association.

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This then became the Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled, registered as a non-profit charitable organization in 1973. Its driving force was Phyllis Aldridge who saw the need for physically challenged children and adults in The Bahamas.

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Sir Durward Knowles was appointed president in 1991 and remained so until his passing in 2018. Under his leadership, an extension was added to the existing facility to meet the growing needs of the association.  In 2018 Ms. Charlotte Albury was unanimously voted in as the new president.