When Andrea Robertson’s daughter Lexie was diagnosed with autism, Robertson ran into roadblocks as she sought solutions for her daughter’s education and care path.
But what began as a personal quest resulted in Robertson founding Lexie’s Voice, a nonprofit that provides resources for families raising individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, in 2016.
And this summer with the opening of Lexie’s Ranch, a venue that provides equine therapy alongside key daily life skills for children and adults with autism, Robertson is seeing her ultimate vision become reality.
“I wanted to be able to offer different educational options, and this has always been a dream of mine,” Robertson says of the Scottsdale property that was discovered by her husband, Brad. “He told me, ‘Nobody is going to do this if you don’t.’”
Lexie’s Ranch opened this summer and hosts an all-day program five days a week for students of all ages from childhood into adulthood. In addition to equine therapy, on-site activities on the 1.3-acre property include swimming in the pool, tending to the garden, playing in the park, and caring for chickens and highland cows. Students also take care of Tuck, a desert tortoise.
In the near future, Robertson will add afterschool programs, weekend community classes, and other events.
Students attend Lexie’s Ranch through our ESA tutoring program for as long as they need, whether it be for a week, a month, or more. Often, parents are looking for a place that will help their child return to school or their usual learning environment.
“They may need a little bit of a bridge, and we are that,” Robertson says. “Our population is the one that often gets left behind.”
Robertson knows this all too well.
A few years after Lexie and her fraternal twin sister, Charlie, who is not autistic, were born in 2001, Robertson sensed something was cognitively different with Lexie. Teachers and therapists at Lexie’s school told Robertson she was autistic.
However, her school district didn’t have services that addressed Lexie’s needs. Robertson put her in a private school that did, which was made possible by the Arizona school voucher program.
When the battle ensued to eliminate the program, Robertson found herself as the face of the fight for the voucher. This successful effort led to the creation of Lexie's Law in 2009, a tax credit scholarship program that gives disabled and displaced students the opportunity to attend schools that offer the individualized support they need.
Robertson wanted to take the mission of Lexie’s Voice further with equine and other therapies. This was the spark for Lexie’s Ranch.
“We don’t have a Boys and Girls Club or YMCA for our population,” Robertson says. “I just had to do something.”
Most families come to the Ranch after they’ve been turned away by other institutions and are left in the dark.
“They need some kind of help and we’re that voice saying, ‘It’s okay. We’re going to help you figure this out,’” Robertson says.
Using a washer and dryer, grocery shopping, and completing tasks with appliances and tools they have at home are life skills that transfer immediately.
Robertson talks about the strides she’s seen in the kids and adults at the Ranch, and the level of independence they've been able to gain.
There’s Alex, a 31-year-old who just moved with his family from Boston, leaving the only home and environment he had ever known. When his father picked him up, Alex told him that he had a great first day, and that it was perfect!
“That, for me, is everything. It gives me the fuel I need to go out into the community and talk about why this population is so important,” Robertson says. “Just seeing how happy they are to have their independence and how happy their parents are when they drop them off, knowing they are thriving in this environment.”