NEARI was founded in 1986 by Steven Bengis, Ed.D., LCSW, and Penny Cuninggim, Ed.D., MAT, MSW, along with eleven veteran professionals who had all worked together in another school program for six years. By integrating best practices in both education and treatment, NEARI School offers students from 7 to 22 an opportunity to succeed by promoting relationships, mastery, self-advocacy, and self-empowerment skills while nourishing individual strengths.