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Pioneering Services for Individuals with Autism
Since it was founded in 2002 by a group of innovative parents and professionals, Vista has led the industry in establishing standards of excellence for autism services. Throughout Vista’s 20+ year history, we have remained committed to providing high-quality support for every person with autism to reach their full potential and live as independently as possible.
A group of highly committed parents and professionals identified the need for improved support for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder living in Central Pennsylvania.
On February 4, 2002, The Vista School® opened its doors to 4 children.
The Vista School® formed a unique partnership with a local behavioral health provider in a demonstration project to join educational and therapeutic aspects of the treatments that are primarily used for the remediation of ASD.
In 2005, Vista was granted a Medical Assistance Partial Hospitalization License from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
Vista moved to its current facility in 2011 – a breathtaking 18-acre campus owned by the Hershey Trust Company that had once been used as a residential program for Milton Hershey School. The campus has four separate buildings – high school, junior-high school, middle school and elementary school.
The Vista Adult Services Employment program was established to introduce individuals with autism to competitive, integrated employment opportunities and training to give them the skills they need to lead fulfilling lives.
The doors of our Community Integration Center (CIC) opened in the fall of 2015 at 24 Northeast Drive, Hershey. The CIC provides instruction for adult clients that is individually designed and targets skills most relevant to securing, enhancing, or maintaining job placement.
Vista saw a need in the autism community for continued support through adulthood. In 2016, we established the Vista Residential Program to help adults with autism find affordable housing close to where they work, volunteer, engage in social activities, and use community resources. As the state model for residential services shifted focus to keeping individuals in a typical home setting, Vista’s Residential Services program transitioned to the current Intensive In-Home and Community Services program to fulfill the same everyday living support needs for individuals with autism.
In November 2017, Vista Autism Services launched our brand new Early Intervention program consisting of one classroom made up of six young children. The first year of the program showed great success in improving the lives of the children and helping them achieve the building blocks for future learning.
Vista celebrated its 20th anniversary on February 4, 2022 and unveiled our new butterfly logo. The new look is a reflection of Vista’s continued evolution while incorporating meaningful elements that symbolize Vista’s steadfast core identity.
Today, Vista employs more than 300 skilled professionals and serves over 300 individuals and their families.