Tackling on multiple fronts the complex issue of housing for a growing special needs population.
This month marks our third year since opening doors to First Place–Phoenix in July 2018. Here’s to the amazing residents, their families and First Place staff for bringing us to this milestone on our journey to creating a wonderfully unique and diverse community of pride, purpose and endless possibilities! “In A Different Key: The Movie” – A Mother’s Search for
Congrats to the First Place Transition Academy Class of 2021! Congratulations to members of our fifth graduating class, who enthusiastically participated in this month’s in-person and Zoom convocation ceremony, followed by time to celebrate with family, friends and staff at ever-supportive GateWay Community College in Phoenix. Graduates share their insights on the experience in this video. Special gratitude goes to
Pandemic Restrictions—and Our Hearts—Are Lifted! The long-awaited announcement of the reopening of First Place community spaces has arrived! Considering a large percentage of our community has been vaccinated, effective immediately, all COVID-19 restrictions are lifted—and residents and staff alike are quickly returning to the same bustling hub of daily living, learning and leading. We’re eager and excited to pick up
Spring Symposium Attendees Visit the Past—and Focus on the Future We’re thrilled with the success of the ninth Global Leadership Institute Symposium earlier this month. Participation and presentations via webinar by so many pioneering leaders from across North America and around the world—representing 30 states and six countries—is a testament to the continued commitment to fuel a new generation of
Fueling a new generation of housing and community options for people with autism and other neurodiversities is an experiment—a big one. While we all want successful outcomes, the variables are vast, resources limited, models scarce and data still out of reach. With demand for housing and services at an all-time high as approximately 60,000 individuals with autism in the U.S.
Ian McCoy, First Place Transition Academy graduate By Brent Jackson, First Place Resident and Transition Academy Graduate When asked what my first idea would be for a blog, it took me a couple of days to really get my gears going. Then the perfect idea came to me. This is it: I can connect with former graduates of the First