The Watson Institute - (412) 741-1800 / (866) 893-4751

The Watson Institute helps children & youth with special needs. Visit us online: http://www.thewatsoninstitute.org

Our History

The Watson Institute is the legacy of Mr. and Mrs. David Thompson Watson. A Pittsburgh business leader and well-known international attorney—representing such notables as A. M. Byers, Andrew Carnegie, W. H. Vanderbilt, Henry Phipps and Henry Clay Frick—David Watson and his wife, Margaret, dedicated considerable time and resources for the care, education and treatment of children with disabilities. After David’s death in 1916, the Watson’s "Sunny Hill" summer estate in Sewickley, PA, became the D. T. Watson Home for Crippled Children.

From 1917 through 1984, the D.T. Watson Home, as it was often called, focused on the health and education of children with special needs.

During this time, the D.T. Watson Home also began offering physical therapy classes at is the newly-created Division of Physical Therapy. In 1927, the Division of Physical Therapy became affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine to offer courses required by the State Board. By the 1930s, Watson’s program was one of only five Pennsylvania-approved schools for physical therapy as well as one of the first top-ten accredited physical therapy schools in the country. D. T. Watson became the first rehabilitation provider in the area to offer hydrotherapy in 1932.

In the 1950s, at the height of the polio epidemic , Watson was selected as one for only four schools in the country to provide emergency care for areas without access to hospitals. Watson was also the site selected by Dr. Jonas Salk to conduct his first clinical trials of the polio vaccine.
In 1984, the mission of the D. T. Watson Home for Crippled Children was modified to provide special education and rehabilitation services for children as well as adults. The new organization’s name was changed to D. T. Watson Rehabilitation Hospital.

In 1999, D.T. Watson Rehabilitation Hospital, upon the decision by Watson’s Board of Trustees returned to its original mission: to serve children with disabilities. To reach this goal, D. T. Rehabilitation Hospital was sold to HealthSouth. The remaining organization was renamed The Watson Institute.

In 2001, The Watson Institute merged with Craig House, an approved private school with a partial hospital component. Craig House was renamed Craig Academy to better reflect the services it offered to children and adolescents throughout the region. In 2010 a new school was built in the Friendship neighborhood of Pittsburgh and the name was changed to Friendship Academy.

Today, The Watson Institute, through its family of schools and services, helps children and youth with special needs to achieve their fullest potential in all aspects of their lives. Watson strives to provide programs that serve the needs of children with autism spectrum disorders, neurological impairments or serious emotional challenges with diagnostic, educational and therapeutic support; support to the families of these children through education, counseling, wraparound, outpatient services and respite programs; and training and technical support to educators, psychologists, therapists and others working in this field.

To learn more about The Watson Institute, visit us online at: http://www.thewatsoninstitute.org

These Are The Values That We Live By at The Watson Institute

*Customer Focus

We will measure and respond quickly to the expectations and needs of our customers. Our interactions with our customers are based on principles of honesty, integrity and partnership.

*Excellence

We are committed to attaining the highest standards of professional practice and progressive delivery of services. Each of us, individually and in teams, shall anticipate, understand and surpass the expectations of our customers.

*Integrity

We believe integrity is fundamental to everything we do. Integrity includes honesty, fairness, sensitivity, objectivity and confidentiality. Integrity is doing what we say we are going to do. It is vital to our success as a quality organization and also in our personal interactions.

*Teamwork

We will work together in teams to achieve superior levels of customer and personal satisfaction. To promote teamwork, the organization will foster participation and encourage the sharing of knowledge with one another.

*Innovation

We are committed to an environment that fosters new ways of thinking about what we do and how we do it. We encourage risk-taking and use our mistakes as learning opportunities. The organization provides resources to support appropriate innovation.

*Significance of the Individual

We value each individual and his or her own contributions to the organization. We respect the rights and needs of individuals and encourage creativity and decision-making.

Learn more about what we have to offer by clicking here: http://www.thewatsoninstitute.org

Tags: School,Educational Organization,Specialty School