The fullest possible life.
Every parent and educator hopes that their child or student will learn, progress and succeed and go on to lead the fullest life possible.

The Sarah Dooley Center opened in 2006 as a joint venture between St. Joseph's Villa and Commonwealth Autism Service. The Sarah Dooley Center was created to offer a new option for helping children with autism and related developmental disabilities. A new curriculum was developed to help children dealing with severe autism. After the program had been established, St. Joseph's Villa took on full responsibility for running the program and expanded its services to educate and care for children with developmental disabilities, including mental retardation and cerebral palsy.

Our goal is to help students develop skills that will improve their quality of life and will provide the greatest degree of independence and access to the community as they transition into adulthood. The academic program is complemented by vocational and life skills training which enables our students to lead more independent lives as adults.

We welcome you to our web site, where we hope you will learn about our program, our people and our unique approach.