First Place is working.

Through proven workforce and workplace development programs, First Place is preparing individuals with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) to pave their way to employment.

Creating opportunities.

First Place Global’s Maricopa County IDA Center for Education, Training & Employment is preparing individuals to succeed.

For any individual—regardless of whether they live with a neurodiversity—the responsibility of a regular job can also provide a purposeful life enriched by structure, self-worth, friendships, problem solving and skill building. First Place is creating these opportunities.

Be Open + Be Ready®

First Place’s innovative workplace/workforce initiative helps bridge the gap between employers seeking talented workers and neurodiverse individuals ready for gainful employment.

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Be Ready® Jobseekers

Take charge of your employment future. Join Be Ready to gain the foundation for workplace success.

Enroll now

Learn4Independence®

This groundbreaking licensed curriculum opens doors to independence for adults with autism, helping them learn how to successfully combine life skills with work readiness.

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“People with autism have the same fundamental needs as everyone else. Those needs are just amplified.”
Tom D’Eri, Co-Founder, Rising Tide Car Wash

Local, national and global impact.

165+
individuals to date have been trained, upskilled or reskilled.
35+
First Place–Phoenix residents are supported through job readiness, search and preparation, as well as onboarding and task programs.
25+
First Place–Phoenix residents have been employed with the same organization for more than one year.
100+
First Place Transition Academy participants have graduated with work readiness and life skills training.
14
organizations across North America have licensed and are teaching First Place's Learn4Independence® curriculum, which trains individuals to succeed on their own.