History
YAI, previously known as Young Adult Institute, is an organization serving people with Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in New York City. YAI launched as a pilot program at a small school in Brooklyn, New York, in February 1957. The pilot program was run by co-founders Bert MacLeech and Pearl Maze and served seven people with I/DD.[2] Today, YAI has expanded to a team of over 4,000 employees and supports over 20,000 people in the I/DD community. YAI supports people with Autism, Down syndrome, and Cerebral palsy, among others. They provide more than 300 programs and services for children and adults in New York, New Jersey, and California. From 2019, YAI has maintained the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, the world's largest organization that evaluates the effectiveness and mission of US-based nonprofit organizations.