Rise School Austin

In December of 1999, an Austin family gave birth to twin girls, one of whom was diagnosed with Down Syndrome.  With an extensive background in special education, the family soon discovered that Austin did not have any preschool programs that provided full-time educational and therapeutic services to infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities.  Further, the state-funded services that were available were narrowly defined and limited in scope.  Due to the limited choices available, the family began to search for an exemplary, nationally recognized program in the hopes of providing the “best” possible educational experience possible for their daughter. 

Their search took them to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where they discovered that other Texas families had already walked down the same path.  Those families had found that special “something” they were looking for – The Rise School, a nationally recognized early childhood program for children with disabilities at The University of Alabama.  To provide the best early intervention services to their young children with disabilities, those families opened Rise Schools in Dallas in 1998 and Houston in 2000.

After visiting both Tuscaloosa and Houston, the family was committed to establishing a Rise School in Austin, Texas.  In order to bring the model to Austin, a strong affiliation was needed that would lend credibility and respect in the community.  In 2002, The University of Texas at Austin approved an affiliation agreement that became the first step in making Rise a reality for families in the Austin community.  In addition to the affiliation with The University of Texas, the strong support of Mack and Sally Brown helped increase awareness in the community of the need for this type of specialized program.

With a team of highly motivated and enthusiastic community volunteers and a dedicated Board of Directors, The Rise School of Austin opened its doors on August 18, 2003.