By Denise D. Resnik, Founder & President/CEO, First Place AZ/First Place Global; Co-Founder, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center; and Matt’s Mom
For many families, Independence Day means backyard barbecues, local parades and fireworks lighting up the night sky. While we celebrate our nation’s declaration of independence as the United States, I’m also reminded of our interdependence—the reality that we need one another to thrive through shared values, mutual support and inclusive communities.
As the mother of an adult with autism and epilepsy, this deeper meaning of the holiday resonates with me more every year.
In the early days, July 4th celebrations were a mixed bag. Matt and our family loved the fireworks, but the intensity of crowds and “bombs bursting in air” could feel like a veritable battleground. It also meant carefully managing severe sensory overload.
As the country celebrates 250 years, our original national motto, e pluribus unum—out of many, one—offers a truth that parents like me hold to be self-evident: Our nation relies on a union of states, just as adults with—and without—disabilities rely on an accessible, supportive societal framework to achieve their own version of independence. Such a realization—that freedom is fueled by connection—is what led to the creation of our flagship property, First Place–Phoenix.
I used to dream of a day when Matt could experience a home of his own surrounded by a supportive community. Today, at First Place–Phoenix, that dream is a reality for him and many others.
First Place–Phoenix is not just an apartment building. It is a vibrant, 81,000-square-foot neuro-inclusive community. Adults with autism, Down syndrome and other neurodivergencies live in their own apartments—but not in isolation. They learn crucial life skills, secure gainful employment and build lifelong friendships within a supportive ecosystem that also makes life fun!
Matt’s independence means peace of mind for parents like me—something that should not be limited by geography. Just as our country thrives when ideas move freely across state lines, the data we have collected and the positive outcomes we are demonstrating in Arizona belong to the entire nation.
First Place Global is working across the country to scale momentum, connecting with real estate developers, policymakers, healthcare providers, local leaders and stakeholders to share lessons learned and recognize our collective strength.
If home and community are the foundation of an interdependent life, then civic engagement is its fundamental expression. True autonomy means having a voice in the laws and leaders shaping our country. Vote the Spectrum, a nonpartisan initiative created by First Place AZ, is dedicated to educating and registering voters with disabilities. When self-advocates and their families, friends, teachers, physicians and lifelong networks of support use their voices at the ballot box, they are not just participating in democracy—they are strengthening the collective union that drives the future of our nation.
True freedom for Matt—and others like him—doesn’t mean navigating the world alone. It means living in communities where each of us recognizes that everyone can do something: Offer support, understanding and kindness in the places we share every day—from school and the corner store to places of work, worship and beyond.
This Independence Day, let’s celebrate the many connections that empower democracy to thrive—and keep passing the torch of freedom to the next generation with the understanding that this work, like motherhood and democracy itself, is never truly done.
Dimensions® 2026, First Place Global’s annual symposium, will focus on bridging the gaps separating individuals with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities from the vital housing, healthcare, employment and education they need for more independent lives of purpose and possibility. We hope you’ll join us in this endeavor!
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By: Denise D. Resnik, Founder & President/CEO, First Place AZ/First Place Global, SARRC Co-Founder and Matt’s Mom
I know it’s neither advisable nor helpful to lean into the “would have, could have, should have” mindset. But for some reason, I couldn’t resist going there during the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) 28th Annual Community Breakfast this month.
Hope was present in every personal testimonial, proudly shared accomplishment, data point, new Community School location—and in every person who filled the room at the Arizona Biltmore.
It is also omnipresent in this community known as “the most autism-friendly city in the world,” as named by PBS NewsHour. And for good reason.
I watched 1,500 people pour into the ballroom, all marveling at the videos and presentations about kids of all ages making remarkable progress—and SARRC’s unwavering commitment to putting support within reach of every Arizonan.
While hopeful and joy filled, these annual breakfasts can also be emotional as we listen to how the autism journey is filled with struggles that include long days and even longer nights, months and years.
This year, I became a puddle of tears after Luke’s mom, Margot Blair, spoke. She described herself as the mother who sat in the back of the room just two years prior, feeling lost about how to navigate her son’s journey with autism—and her own.
Margot’s story took my breath away. I understood firsthand what she was saying and rejoiced in seeing Luke’s significant strides (and cuteness!). The stark reminder of being in that very dark place was all too familiar and frightening: not knowing where to turn, whom to talk to, what to do—but knowing we needed to do something.
I know that “look in the mirror” pattern Margot referenced—questioning whether there was something I did, didn’t do or needed to do better.
Filled with emotion, I jumped from my seat as she exited the stage to give her a hug, congratulate her on Luke’s promising future and whisper in her ear, “I don’t know you, but I do.”
Back in 1993 when Matt was diagnosed with autism, I didn’t feel adequate as his mom. There were no answers, no SARRC, no internet. Instead, we turned our home into Matt’s therapy headquarters, commandeering nearly every room in the house, some of which contained evidence of Matt’s autism: chewed-up leather couches, baseboards pulling away from the walls due to flooding from stopped-up toilets and toys where furniture should go.
We seldom watched TV as a family. It was Matt’s videos in one room while our daughter Ally watched programs with her dad, including every episode of “West Wing” in another as he explained what it means to live in a healthy democracy.
Without clinical experience, and too often not knowing what to do, I started doing what I did know how to do: Get really smart people around the table and start building community. That included co-founding SARRC in 1997 and founding First Place AZ in 2012. Together with fellow SARRC founders Drs. Raun Melmed and Cindy Schneider, we turned questions from a support group of moms (and soon dads) into big ideas. We transformed our offices, homes and cars into hubs for resources, research and support.
The goal of ensuring SARRC’s original mission of “supporting individuals with autism and their families throughout their lifetimes” constantly fuels the work of First Place–Phoenix and First Place Global on our aligned missions. And hearing the bravery and dedication in the voices of other parents fuels my own commitment.
Thank you, SARRC, First Place and my bright and shining North Star Matt for continuing to remind us that each of us has a role to play in building a connected community through family, friends, colleagues and a shared, hopeful vision about our future.
And thank you, Margot, for loving Luke as you do and placing a world of possibilities in his future.
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By Denise D. Resnik, First Place Global Founder, President/CEO & Matt’s Mom
I’ll never forget my conversation two decades ago with a loving 80-year-old mother who had been forced to move her son with autism 10 times during his adult life and knew she wouldn’t be able to move him again. She asked, “Could First Place be his forever place?” I told her that was the plan—and our hope.
As mothers, we understand that for our peace of mind, we need to have our fingerprints on where our adult children with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities live—and build our hopes on a foundation of trusted partnerships. While First Place–Phoenix is often the first move after leaving the family home, it is also designed as that forever place.
Parents looking for the next home away from home for their adult children need a marketplace of options in urban, suburban and rural areas. To help ensure that, First Place–Phoenix serves as an R&D site through which First Place Global is planning and building capacity.
Embedded in supportive, connected communities—and designed to operate on generational timelines—these properties are more than four-wall options. They are wired to deploy technology-enabled supports for greater efficiency, self-direction and peace of mind; committed to continuous learning and growth through relationships, shared know-how and myriad innovations; designed to build confidence—and outlast us.
Multisector partnerships behind this work cannot be built for a single project. They must be built to endure—through leadership and staffing transitions, political shifts, funding cycles and the complexity of developing functional communities for the future.
Durable partnerships are as important as the durable properties they build. They grow stronger through solving problems together to strengthen and sustain communities. Prime examples of such properties include 29 Acres near Dallas/Ft. Worth, Bhatia Cornerstone Village in Los Angeles and Thrive at Red Bank in New Jersey (under construction).
Together, we are building infrastructure for a fast-growing sector. First Place Global’s annual symposium, DimensionsTM, convenes changemakers from across the country and around the world to compare notes, build relationships and collaborate on cultivating the next generation of leaders. Our research and publications give communities shared language and data that endure after individual champions move on.
What elevates every project’s chance of success are communities of practice—learning collaboratives—through which applied research helps us make better decisions with real staying power.
Sustained partnerships don’t just make the work more durable—they make us more durable. Every parent and innovator knows that perfect storm of converging obstacles. What carries you through is not simply a plan—it’s the follow-through. It’s the people who show up, offer perspective and remind you you’re part of something larger than any single setback.
That’s what hope looks like when it’s durable—not a feeling that comes and goes but a deeper commitment with the power to sustain partnerships focused on building communities that work for everyone.
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