The First Place–Phoenix team celebrates a year of firsts by sharing their favorite memories.
Nancy Ottmann, Executive DirectorFavorite “first:" Attending my first Global Leadership Institute symposium was one of the most inspirational and emotional professional experiences … More
https://youtu.be/UVOvyK8EEm0(2019 Summer Series, Blog #6) This time of year, Matt is often asked where he goes to school. It’s understandable, considering his youthful appearance and mannerisms, as well as his small stature at 5'3" and … More
Lara Stolman, filmmaker, journalist and mom to a son with autism, recently visited First Place–Phoenix and brought her award-winning documentary “Swim Team” with her for special screenings for staff and residents and their family members. … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #5) Since Matt moved into First Place–Phoenix, we’ve learned that when the skills, training and infrastructure are in place, so much is possible! Still, we can’t (yet!) claim that everything is perfect for … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #4) After working on Matt’s transition to his new home over several months (years!), Rob and I made the monumental decision for Matt to spend an entire week at First Place–Phoenix without … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #3) During months of trial and error and a detailed 16-step shaving process that Matt followed faithfully, his face cuts continued. That’s when we resorted to the one-step electric shaver solution. On … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #2) At 7:30 p.m. one recent evening, Rob and I were alerted via the Life360 tracking app that Matt had left First Place and was traveling down Third Street toward Central Avenue. … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #1) Matt is a 28-year-old man with “classic” autism who has been able to work, communicate with some limitations and enjoy a good game of Uno or Scrabble. We take stock in … More
Our 2019 summer blog series chronicles the journey of our son Matt’s transition to life at First Place–Phoenix, thanks in large part to Rob—Matt’s tech-savvy dad, “father of fun” and my husband of 35 years—our … More
This month marks the two-year anniversary of the First Place–Phoenix groundbreaking. I’m happy to report that our culture of inclusion and learning is alive and well. We are enjoying the daily comings and goings of residents, … More