By Denise D. Resnik, Founder & President/CEO, First Place AZ/First Place Global; Co-Founder, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center; and Matt’s Mom
We had packed it all: extra meds and a change of clothes, plenty of word search puzzles, power cords, patience and a plan. I even had pictures of Matt’s identification loaded on my phone. What I didn’t have: the hard copy of his passport or state ID.
What should have been the typical, easy 60-minute flight from San Diego to Phoenix spiraled into an eight-hour ordeal—and a timely reminder for National Accessible Air Travel Day on August 20.
The Southwest Airlines agents were kind, calm and well-trained. They didn’t need a long explanation about our son’s autism. They understood the importance of clear communication, practical accommodations—and dignity. Our experience with TSA was a different story.
After I paid the $45 TSA ConfirmID fee so Matt’s identity could be verified, I was directed to a chair in a corner for our son and told a supervisor would return in 10 minutes. We still had more than an hour before boarding and I was assured we would be fine.
Matt sat patiently completing his word searches while I stood and watched for the supervisor. Ten minutes became 20 before I respectfully and politely started nudging the TSA agents managing incoming passengers, who acknowledged me with a few kind words.
Three different TSA supervisors stopped by, each requiring me to re-explain everything. A San Diego police officer conducted a background check. Then came my more emotional plea about not wanting to miss our flight—and one agent’s quip that tears were not going to help and there was no way we would make it.
So we rolled the dice. We booked the next flight with one open seat, put one of us on standby and held seats on a later evening flight, just in case. The good news: We both got on the next flight. The not-so-good news: It was delayed by several hours.
So we walked…more than 10,000 steps, with breaks for stretching, word searches, snacks and small purchases—including my overpriced favorite suckers. We practiced scanning items, using a credit card, making eye contact, offering proper greetings and following public restroom protocols (thanks to those private family restrooms).
While Matt was learning, so was I—and we were together. We looked at photos from our recent family vacation reminding us of fun times in a cooler climate. We played lots of games. I added items to his schedule that he could happily check off. He also enjoyed his favorite videos while I caught up with a longtime friend who also happened to be at the airport—someone who has supported our autism journey from the start and who shared that his grandson had just been diagnosed. I was reminded of many soul-nourishing moments along the way.
I learned all over again why we should leave nothing to chance—or at home—when we travel. Especially when it comes to proper ID. Photos on a phone may be helpful, but they’re no substitute for what’s required at the checkpoint. TSA ConfirmID can be a resource for adults without standard identification, but it is not guaranteed and clearly not fast. Families should also plan for additional time to anticipate unexpected delays.
This unfortunate incident reminded me of the power of people who do not demand a detailed explanation, like a trained airline agent or a patient stranger. The comforts of a family restroom and a chair in a quiet corner. These are not luxuries. They are essential parts of what makes travel possible, manageable and—at certain times—even bearable.
National Accessible Air Travel Day reminds us that accessible travel is more than ramps, wheelchairs and boarding procedures. It’s also about a collective, keen awareness of sensory needs, cognitive disabilities, communication differences, caregiver roles—and the invisible burden families carry every time they step into an airport.
For families preparing to fly, resources can help. The Arc’s Wings for Autism/Wings for All offers airport rehearsal experiences so people with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities can practice check-in and security procedures, waiting at the gate and boarding a plane. Southwest Airlines also provides information about cognitive and developmental disability, including assistance from curb to gate and during connections. These tools matter because practice builds confidence—for travelers, families and aviation professionals.
For airports, airlines and federal agencies, the need is clear: Train, listen, communicate and design systems that recognize the full range of passenger ability. A person with autism may not look like someone who needs support. A parent or caregiver may appear calm until the system stops working for them. A delay that is inconvenient for one traveler can be destabilizing for another. Air travel opens doors—to family, work, adventure, independence and belonging. But those doors must be accessible, predictable and dignified.
As we acknowledge National Accessible Air Travel Day, I am grateful for those whose shoulders we stand on, for advocates pushing the aviation industry forward and for every professional who chooses patience over policy-speak. I am also mindful of the work still ahead—one airport, one checkpoint and one person at a time.
Prepare for takeoff!
Join the conversation at Dimensions 2026, First Place Global’s 15th symposium, October 14–16, in Phoenix, Arizona. Register here.
By Denise D. Resnik, Founder & President/CEO, First Place AZ/First Place Global; Co-Founder, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center; and Matt’s Mom
The early 1990s feel like a different lifetime. When our son Matt was diagnosed with autism, we were living in a pre-internet world. There were no online communities, no databases and very little peer-reviewed clinical data to guide us. We were a handful of parents navigating in a vast, silent vacuum.
In those early days, we were forced to become pioneer citizen-scientists. When our children couldn’t sleep, eat or find peace, we refused to accept the mainstream narrative that nothing could be done. Exhausted but driven by fierce parental love, we pursued early interventions, intensive therapies, vitamins and biochemical protocols. We tried them then because we knew intuitively what science confirms today: The gut, the immune system and the brain are profoundly interconnected. We were desperate, demanding that medicine incorporate the whole body.
We’ve traveled a long, arduous road since the days of pig-derived secretin injections. Today, through Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), we build on that pioneering spirit by anchoring our work in rigorous, multisystem data. Yet as I look out at the landscape in 2026, a massive, critical void remains. We have gotten better at treating children—but we’re still failing them when they grow up.
Our focus can no longer be siloed. We must widen our lens to encompass the entire, vibrant spectrum of autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), recognizing that many individuals live with complex, co-occurring medical and behavioral conditions, including autism, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental profiles.
We face a critical disconnect between childhood services and adult realities for this diverse population. This is precisely why our theme for Dimensions® 2026, the 15th First Place Global Symposium, is “Bridging the Gap.”
To successfully close the divide, families, clinicians, housing developers, educators, employers and healthcare workers must move forward with a unified strategy that recognizes both clinical optimization and community design:
In my experience, when an individual is in acute biological distress—from underlying neuro-inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction or severe GI pain—it is a medical priority. We must aggressively investigate and treat these root-cause systemic issues. However, we must also pair an intensive clinical focus with a long-term strategy. Clinical optimization and community infrastructure must go hand in hand.
A clinical diagnosis alone does not dictate an individual’s lifestyle, home preferences or support needs. Whether a person has autism, Down syndrome or Williams syndrome, two individuals with the exact same diagnosis can have completely opposite sensory sensitivities, social goals, medical complexities, and behavioral support needs and preferences. Educators, developers and clinicians must assess the whole person, not just the clinical label.
To scale housing and support options nationally, developers, funders and care providers need a shared, structured language—such as the framework established in A Place in the World®: Fueling Housing and Community Options for Adults with Autism and Other Neurodiversities (3rd ed.)—to accurately measure demand, secure funding and build sustainable properties that accommodate various levels of cognitive, physical and behavioral support for the autism and/or I/DD population.
There is no “right” residential model for the autism and/or I/DD community. Just as the senior living market evolved to offer everything from active independent living to memory care, our community requires a more diverse marketplace. This includes urban apartments, suburban and rural planned neighborhoods, and co-housing options with a range of price points to support a range of wants and physical, medical and behavioral needs.
True independence relies on the ability to navigate the community autonomously. We cannot build supportive housing in isolated areas where residents are cut off from society. Housing developers and community planners must select sites within walking distance of public transit, employment, medical care and recreation—including accessibility for those with mobility challenges.
Through First Place AZ’s Be Open, Be Ready® workplace/workforce initiative, we advise employers and educators not to lower the bar for individuals with autism and/or I/DD but to adjust the environment accordingly. Clearly structure onboarding, minimize sensory overload in layouts, use visual checklists for multi-step tasks and focus on output instead of forcing neurotypical social/workplace conformity.
Any progressive practitioner will tell you that a body trapped in a perpetual “fight-or-flight” response cannot heal. A chaotic, sensory-hostile living or working environment triggers chronic stress, directly fueling cellular and metabolic inflammation. By building neuro-inclusive housing and workplaces, we aren’t just making life easier—we’re creating a therapeutic biological sanctuary. Stabilizing the environment lowers systemic cortisol, acting as a critical co-therapy alongside targeted medical protocols.
We must build a two-way street between emerging translational medicine and real-world behavioral outcomes. First Place–Phoenix, a model R&D flagship property, along with collaborating sites through First Place Global, offers a unique opportunity to track how multi-systemic health improvements translate into independent living skills and workplace success. We welcome rigorous data from all disciplines, including functional, metabolic, behavioral and neurodevelopmental research, to help us determine what optimizes a person’s ability to thrive—while guiding our steps and informing our hearts.
Don’t let the pursuit of clinical perfection derail daily progress. Keep daily routines functional, attainable and simple. Concurrently treat co-occurring medical conditions—like epilepsy, sleep disturbances, thyroid dysfunction and/or GI pain—through aggressive, standard medical paths instead of viewing them as behavioral idiosyncrasies to be ignored or managed with sedatives.
With millions of adults with autism and/or I/DD living with aging caregivers, the broader community—including policymakers and philanthropists—must build natural, enduring support networks. An individual’s security must not collapse when their parents pass away. We must weave adults of all abilities into the permanent fabric of our neighborhoods.
When Matt was a toddler, my goals were to survive the night, find the right preschool program and soothe his physical distress. But from a mother’s heart, I also learned something that data alone can never fully measure: Hope is a discipline and giving up is never an option. Today, my goal—and the collective mission of First Place Global—is to ensure that adults across the entire spectrum of autism and/or I/DD can flourish in communities that welcome them as neighbors, classmates, employees—and friends.
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!
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!
By Denise D. Resnik, Founder & President/CEO, First Place AZ/First Place Global; Co-Founder, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center; and Matt’s Mom
In preparation for Matt’s 35th year and the 10-year anniversary of the First Place–Phoenix groundbreaking, I’ve been reflecting on where we’ve been, where we are and where we need to go.
When Matt was diagnosed with autism in 1993, there was no roadmap for our family—no internet to guide late-night searching, no established playbook for what a meaningful adult life could look like—and scarce examples of what was possible beyond childhood. Like so many families, we were left to navigate uncertainty while trying to build a future we could not yet envision.
Out of that uncertainty came a sense of urgency and a simple but powerful realization: If the community and infrastructure we needed did not exist, we would have to help build them. That spirit helped shape Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), First Place AZ and the broader work that continues today.
This week, we celebrated Matt’s birthday surrounded by family and friends who have been there from the start, along with his First Place–Phoenix neighbors who taught him how to play Mario Kart and always cheer him on. They are the same neighbors who express their appreciation for Matt’s kindness, participate in his favorite Uno and Scrabble games, and remind him to bring two water bottles to weekly workouts. They are those in his life who don’t get paid to care about him—or each other.
None of this began with buildings alone but with families, questions, heartbreak—and a fervent refusal to accept that isolation, stagnation or limited expectations should define the future for those we love.
We now know more about what adults with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities need to live healthy, connected, purpose-filled lives. We also know that housing should not be separated from other key social determinants like health, employment, education, connection, public policy and the broader community.
Yet even with all we have learned, too many families still face the same looming questions: Where will my son or daughter live? Who will support them when I am no longer able? What options will exist for people with different strengths, needs, resources and aspirations?
Such urgent questions demand more than compassionate answers. They require intentional community development, measurable outcomes, benchmarking, supportive public policy, shared investment—and the courage to keep building and learning.
First Place Global’s 15th symposium, Dimensions℠ 2026, will reflect honestly on history—not dwelling on what was missing but honoring what families, self-advocates, practitioners, researchers, policymakers and community leaders have made possible. Together with tireless leaders in our field, we will continue charting a course that moves us beyond scarcity and one-size-fits-all thinking toward a new generation of housing and community options that are more diverse, more sustainable, more affordable and more responsive across the lifespan.
Building community doesn’t happen quickly. It takes connections, practice, natural consequences, lessons learned—and lots of celebrations. This work is deeply personal to me and so many others because of the history we carry and the community we create together. While data and outcomes are important to advancing our mission, stats don’t tell me everything Matt needs, what makes him happy—or what his smile and heart are truly saying.
Watch highlights from Matt’s 35th birthday party here.
Join the conversation at Dimensions 2026, First Place Global’s 15th symposium, October 14–16, in Phoenix, Arizona. Register here.
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.
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.
By Denise D. Resnik, First Place Global Founder, President/CEO & Matt’s Mom
I’m energized by how leaders are staying in touch, comparing and sharing notes, and moving work forward together in ways that weren’t happening a decade ago. I’ve been struck by the different tone of conversations. Less “someday.” More “here’s what’s next.” A collective hope driving sustainable action.
We’ve matured as a community—and so has the housing marketplace for adults with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD). We have proven models, are learning to speak the same language and are rewarded with purpose-driven collaborations that break through historic, siloed mindsets.
We’ve seen a surge in shovel-ready proposals reflecting not just ambition but also a clear understanding of the roadblocks communities face and the conditions we’re uniquely positioned to help navigate.
Supporting informed decision-making
Here’s what that cross-pollination is producing—not as isolated success stories, but concrete examples of what’s possible when communities are equipped to build and contribute to an emerging marketplace.
First Place Global recently launched its 13th housing market analysis in the Chicago area. This new collaboration with Autism Speaks is engaging record numbers of local leaders and stakeholders to gather new data, identify barriers to demand, and explore how public, private and charitable sectors can collaborate. The analysis will provide actionable information for advocates, policymakers, developers and family members to support informed decision-making and accelerate housing solutions.
What begins as shared language and a clearer understanding of market options and research leads to more choices. Fueled by aligned partners and funders primed to accelerate next steps, we’re also reaching across the spectrum and specifically addressing those with profound autism and high support needs. (Refer to the third edition of A Place in the World: Fueling Housing & Community Options for Adults with Autism and Other Neurodiversities®.)
What’s striking isn’t just that things are moving but how they’re moving. Conversations once stalled around assumptions—or ended over conflict—now have shared reference points. Meetings that once evaded the problem are now focused on timelines, real estate and feasibility studies. That shift—from “what if” to “here’s how”—is the wellspring of momentum.
Data making the invisible visible
Chicago isn’t alone. Phoenix and Denver changed zoning ordinances by removing regulatory barriers to allow for the development of supportive housing for adults with disabilities. Such changes don’t just enable a single development; they also lower barriers for subsequent projects.
Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, and Cincinnati, Ohio are primed with shovel-ready, neuro-inclusive properties. Real timelines. Real buildings.
Montgomery County, Texas prioritized county-owned land for affordable, accessible housing developments serving adults with autism and/or I/DD—a significant policy shift that opened doors to other developers.
Rochester, New York drove stronger advocacy, expanded representation of self-advocates and families on the blue-ribbon commission, and informed testimony that sparked a statewide taskforce to address housing for adults with autism and/or I/DD, along with a plan for 1,000 new housing units for this population.
More seats at the table in connected communities
These aren’t random wins. They share the same DNA: local leaders working with better information, a shared language for what’s needed and partnerships that bring together people who hadn’t previously been at the same table. Data making the invisible visible. Relationships turning parallel efforts into coordinated ones. Trisector collaboration resulting in leveraged investments.
While we’re on our way, we’re not there yet. Building a marketplace as robust as senior and student housing requires many more choices along with the all-important industry benchmarks. This kind of work isn’t spontaneous. It’s intentional, reflective and innovative. It takes shape through real projects, real policies and real partnerships. It grows as communities stay connected—and keep learning and building with a true marketplace of options as our collective reward.
American clergyman William Sloane Coffin once wrote that hope has two beautiful daughters: anger at the way things are and courage to change them. I often think about that juxtaposition. Righteous and focused anger conveys that our loved ones deserve better than waiting lists and the next empty bed. The courage shows up when leaders and communities translate conviction into land-use decisions, when ground is broken and doors are opened—and when we get to experience the people we love flourishing in our lifetimes.
More seats at the table await. We invite you to engage, support this movement and consider leading a housing market analysis in your community. Turn hope into action at info@firstplaceglobal.org.
By Denise D. Resnik, First Place Global Founder, President/CEO & Matt’s Mom
I’m still thinking about the shared experiences from the Dimensions™ 2025 symposium and moments between formal presentations: bus and break-time conversations, tears and laughter, sudden goosebumps and quiet nods of recognition between people who had been strangers just hours before. Those experiences felt like something important was taking shape.
During three powerful days, we discussed housing, health, employment, policy and culture. But the real story was what happened when all those efforts began to cross-pollinate—when people who care deeply about these areas shared what they’ve been cultivating in their own communities. That’s what market transformation looks like: an ecosystem coming alive, roots intertwining beneath the surface.
At First Place Global, we are building the systems, standards and valued networks that make inclusive housing, employment, healthcare and lifelong learning practical and scalable. What were isolated success stories have become reliable systems that—with the power of examples—communities can replicate and localize.
We heard from featured speaker Jane Wei-Skillern, Ph.D., about her Four Network Principles for Collaboration Success, among the most popular articles in the 15-year history of The Foundation Review.
During the symposium, we experienced those four principles in action:
These principles mirror how First Place Global approaches market transformation by leading through trust, collaboration and shared success.
What moved me most was realizing that growth no longer depends on charitable nonprofits like us to plant every seed. It’s about policymakers and various aligned private- and foundation-sector sponsors joining us, led by Arizona-based presenting symposium sponsor and longtime First Place AZ champion Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, which embraces network leadership in its markets across the U.S.
New shoots are sprouting everywhere—local leaders trading lessons, researchers partnering with developers, families linking arms with employers. The network is taking on a life of its own, nourished by shared purpose and collaborative care.
Our next chapter is about keeping the connections growing. Market transformation doesn’t happen through a single, perfect plan; it happens the way healthy community gardens do—when neighbors come together to sow seeds, tend the soil, and ensure there’s enough sunlight and space those seeds need to grow.
If you left Dimensions 2025 feeling that spark, we encourage you to nurture it. Follow up with the person next to you. Share your experiences, your challenges and your next steps. Reach out for help prepare the ground for your next project—whether it’s through an A Place in the World® Housing Market Analysis, training, curriculum or a Vote the Spectrum® collaboration. Every conversation, shared insight and act of collaboration is the seed for building home and community.
As featured speaker Fred G. Karnas, Ph.D., former senior advisor to the U.S. HUD Secretary and forever friend of our cause, reminded us, “We can almost be certain that what we create will fall short if we do not listen to those with lived experience and their families.”
Let’s keep listening, talking and learning how to turn pilot projects into living ecosystems where ideas take root in local soil and spread through the simple act of staying connected and growing together.
Watch for the 2026 webinar schedule and plan to join us next year in Phoenix, Arizona for the 15th First Place Global Symposium, Oct. 14–16.
First Place Global and Madison House Autism Foundation just released the much anticipated third edition of A Place in the World (APITW): Fueling Housing and Community Options for Adults with Autism and Other Neurodiversities. The updated 2020 report includes new research and maps a path forward for communities ready to shorten those interminable waitlists and close that persistent gap. By working together, we can reshape what home can mean for the special populations we serve.
By Denise D. Resnik, Founder & President/CEO, First Place AZ and Desiree Kameka Galloway, Director, Autism Housing Network
At 6:45 each morning, Marcus checks the transit app, grabs his packed lunch and catches the #51 bus to work from his parents’ home. He’s been following this routine since high school—setting alarms, managing his meds, tracking appointments, establishing the rhythm of adult life. His family started looking for housing options when he was 15. They were told to start early and plan ahead to build independence. They were diligent in preparing him to leave the nest.
Marcus, who has autism, is now 26. Housing leads chased for over a decade have turned up waitlists, group homes and options with a level of dependence he has outgrown. After years of preparation, they face a quiet cruelty: a system that encourages people to be ready for futures it can’t deliver.
Marcus’s family did everything by the book—and more. They got a head start on the housing search when he was 15. They hired a transition consultant, attended workshops and built networks with other families. They researched programs in three states, toured settings that felt more like facilities than homes and filled out applications for places with 10-year waitlists. If a family this organized, resourceful and supposedly ahead of the curve is still hitting dead ends, what happens to families juggling multiple jobs, language barriers or their own health crises?
Marcus represents the leading edge of what advocates call the “inclusion generation”: young adults who grew up with better early intervention, stronger educational supports and higher expectations than any generation before them. They learned to navigate public transportation, manage complex schedules and advocate for workplace accommodations. They practiced independence in supported settings, built confidence through success and grasped that preparation leads to possibility.
They’re ready—but the housing market and system of adult support services isn’t.
The math is grim. Roughly 120,000 autistic young adults exit the school system each year— a total of 1.2 million over the next decade, many with skills adults with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities from their parents’ generation never had the chance to develop. But when these young adults look for housing or jobs, they find only options frozen in time—systems built around outdated assumptions about capability and designed as one size fits all instead of choices tailored to unique needs.
Too often, the only available option is whatever group home or adult foster care bed becomes available when someone moves away, reverts to family support or dies. That’s not a “choice.” For Marcus, it means risking that his carefully built independence skills will fade while he waits for housing designed around needs and limitations defined by others.
What if Marcus’s story could be different? What if families could describe what they need—not just housing but the specific supports, community connections and design features that match their situation—and communities could respond with precision instead of guesswork? And what if innovative partnerships could make possible the combination of the signature strengths of three key sectors: private enterprise, public systems and nonprofit community organizations supported by charitable investors?
For the past five years, advocates, families, policymakers, housing developers and private foundations focused on various returns on their investments have been anticipating those “what ifs,” creating detailed frameworks to help communities understand actual demand, design options that match real lives—and the importance of moving faster from good intentions to open doors.
The question isn’t whether adults like Marcus are ready for independence. It’s whether we’re ready to build the range of choices he and his family have been preparing for all along.
After doing everything right, Marcus is still waiting.
First Place Global and Madison House Autism Foundation just released the much anticipated third edition of A Place in the World® (APITW): Fueling Housing and Community Options for Adults with Autism and Other Neurodiversities. The updated 2020 report includes new research and maps a path forward for communities ready to shorten those interminable waitlists and close that persistent gap. By working together, we can reshape what home can mean for the inclusion generation.
By Denise D. Resnik, Founder & President/CEO, First Place AZ
Last week, In Business Magazine honored 15 leaders from different sectors of the Phoenix economy during the 2025 Women of Achievement Awards luncheon. The authentic, courageous stories shared during such well-deserved recognition grounded us in what’s important and validated how far these women have stretched—and, at times, struggled—to follow their North Star.
I was especially honored to join women from the years before me in receiving the Linda M. Herold Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of “leadership, vision and service” for almost 40 years at DRA Collective, the public relations firm I founded in 1986; Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), co-founded in 1997; and First Place AZ, founded in 2012.
The experience reminded us of our collective strengths and contributions to move our communities and state forward, creating enduring models for the country and the world.
Each woman’s story impressed upon me the heavy lifting underway, the progress being made and the often-uncharted paths to achievement that are anything but easy. They also reinforced that achievement is inextricably linked to defeat along the way. If you’re not failing, you may not be trying hard enough; and if you’re not celebrating, then you may be missing out on golden opportunities to fill hearts and energy to ignite big ideas.
Every sunrise reminds us to check our collective pulse to ensure what we’re doing fuels our spirit, sparks our daily drive and aligns with our personal priorities.
Love what you do and with whom you’re doing it! And when we reflect on this moment in history, we’ll be reminded of who joined us—and how we have impacted people and our planet in myriad positive ways. That’s the true measure of achievement!
