Governor announces program supporting employment of individuals with autism
A new program called the “Phoenix Precision Project” will provide employment opportunities for adults with autism in the Valley.
The program will provide jobs for hundreds of local adults with autism and other different abilities over the next three to five years.
The announcement this week included Governor Doug Ducey, SRP, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and First Place AZ. The program was established in collaboration with The Precisionists, Inc., a Wilmington, Delaware-based company that creates jobs for individuals across a broad range of disabilities.
Charter members of the Phoenix Precision Project will utilize The Precisionists’ disability employment model in a number of areas of their businesses, including IT and administrative services. The first three organizations to participate are the Arizona Department of Economic Security, SRP and Mobile Mini.
“Arizona is a place where opportunity for all means just that,” says Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. “With this announcement from The Precisionists, Arizona is helping fulfill our commitment to empower all Arizonans with meaningful opportunities to work for individuals with disabilities. Thank you to all of our community partners and stakeholders who are working with Arizona to make this initiative a success and joining with us to make Arizona an Employment First state.”
First Place AZ, a nonprofit real estate and community developer, led the recruitment of The Precisionists to the Valley over the past 22 months.
“The Precisionists is providing unique employment solutions that complement the innovative housing options and community opportunities we are developing,” said Denise D. Resnik, Founder and President/CEO of First Place AZ and Co-Founder of the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC). “Together, these offerings place Phoenix on the national forefront of empowering individuals with autism and other neuro-diversities to live more independently in a very supportive community.
With the launch of the Phoenix Precision Project, The Precisionists is making a commitment to Greater Phoenix and the surrounding community through the creation of a new Innovation & Technology Center (ITC), scheduled to open in the first half of 2019. Site selection is currently in progress. The group plans to secure 10 clients from a variety of sectors in 2019.
The Precisionists’ new ITC is expected to create more than 500 Arizona jobs for adults with autism and other special abilities within the next three to five years—and about 1,000 total by 2025, according to GPEC’s economic impact analysis.
