James A (Jim) Nelson was a Board Member of the South Australian Spastic Paralysis Welfare Association (SASPWA) in the early 1950s and the President in 1964, holding this role until 1989. Mr Nelson was one of the fundamental figures behind the purchase and opening of Woodford, the original spastic home at 98 Woodville Road, Woodville, as a true foundation to better the lives of people with cerebral palsy. It was under his leadership that the association’s role focussed as a centre for treatment and therapy rather than a provider of custodian care.

SASPWA became the Spastic Centres of South Australia, which became Cara, the Community Accommodation and Respite Agency, in 1995.

In 1978, SASPAWA opened the James A Nelson centre for therapeutic support. The late 1970s and early 1980s marked an era of rapid expansion of services for people with significant and multiple disabilities. It meant SASPWA would need to work closely with the State Government to ensure the best outcomes for people with disability.

In 1989, Mr Nelson retired from the Presidency of the organisation. In his parting comments, Mr Nelson said he looked back over the years and saw just how much the Spastic Centres of South Australia had been at the forefront of thinking. It supported true inclusion for people with disability into the wider community.