How It All Began

SA Life Academy began as the vision of one family with an intellectually and developmentally disabled adult son in the San Antonio community. They sought a place where their son, upon aging out of the traditional school setting, could continue to learn, grow & contribute to his surrounding community. They visited My Possibilities in Plano, Texas which gave them an exceptional Day Program model to bring to San Antonio. Like My Possibilities, SA Life Academy affords adults with IDD the opportunity to further their personal development goals in a social setting. Our adults have friends to “Do Life Together With” and participate in daily stimulating programming that helps them discover who they want to be outside of the program. 

 
 
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Letter From Our Executive Director

Having a child with a disability changes the direction of how you do life. As parents of an adult son with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD), my husband and I want the same quality of life and opportunities for our son, Drew, as we want for our two other grown children. It just looks different. Once individuals age out of the public-school system at 22 years old, options in San Antonio are limited. As parents of a child with special needs, we were looking for a program that offered continued learning opportunities, enrichment, socialization, and independence in a safe environment.

To address this need, we founded SA Life Academy, a year-round day program that provides exceptional learning opportunities aimed at helping individuals with IDD live full and active lives in a safe environment. SA Life Academy differentiates itself from existing programs through a curriculum designed and facilitated by certified Special Education teachers, low staff-to-adult ratios (1:6), a high level of community involvement and focus on helping our adults discover and work towards their life goals.

Since my husband and I opened SA Life Academy in 2017, we have experienced a 315% growth-rate and serve 48 adults a day and 83 adults per week. To continue meeting the needs of adults in our community, we rely on community partners and know that together, we can transform the lives of adults with IDD while providing families with peace of mind. 

Cindy Boynton, Executive Director and Mom
cindy@salifeacademy.org

 

 

“We all feel so grateful and blessed to have SALA in our entire family’s lives—this program not only positively affects our daughter, it has positively changed all of our lives.”

- Parent of SALA Star