About Us
Since 1971 Rimland has been providing unique supports to individuals diagnosed with autism. Our mission is to remove the barriers restricting equal access for an adult with autism to fulfill the eight core dimensions of life: emotional well-being, interpersonal relationships, material well-being, personal development, physical well-being, self-determination, social inclusion, and individual rights. We have three programs.
Our Community Day Services Program, Community Integrated Living Arrangement and Health and Wellness. Our main office and Community Day Services Program are located in Des Plaines. Our Residential Program has sites in Des Plaines, Evanston, Highland Park, Lake Zurich, Maywood, Morton Grove , Mount Prospect and Niles.
At the core and throughout its history, Rimland believes that “autism is not a condition, but rather, an intrinsic part of the individual with autism’s self- identity and personality.”
There is no cure, but with a structured approach, individuals with autism can work towards inclusion in mainstream society rather than continuing to be isolated.
Because her young son was turned away from every metro Chicago-area school, Rosalind Oppenheim lead a parent-initiated charge, entered the teaching profession, and created The Rimland School for Autistic Children in 1971. The Rimland School was named to honor Dr. Bernhard Rimland, who devoted himself to the study of autism because of his own son, and helped restore a sense of dignity to individuals with autism and the families that support them.
Mrs. Oppenheim did not believe in preconceived notions about a ceiling on the child with autism’s ability to learn. Perhaps because there were no previously established guidelines about either what or how to teach children with autism, she felt free to venture into teaching areas which no one else had previously investigated, particularly non-verbal youngsters.
Rimland still focuses on the same three fields: through our Community Day Services, our Health & Wellness program, and in our series of Residential Homes throughout the Chicago-land area . The residents and students are all adults, having matriculated out of every other private and state- based school and/or organization. Rimland is a pioneer in many ways: our leadership, our staff, our residents, and the success we’ve had teaching adult individuals with classic autism .
As it stands today, Rimland is a unique and necessary addition to the care and inclusion of adults with profound autism. In over 50 years, Rosalind Oppenheim’s legacy has continued to grow and flourish.
