In 1974 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a group of parents, community leaders, and UNC professionals came together to form a private, non-profit organization that would create a community-based alternative to the institutional settings that provided most of the services for people with developmental disabilities at that time. The result was Residential Services, Inc.  We opened some of the first community homes in North Carolina in the ‘70s.  In the ‘80s, we were at the vanguard of community-based ICF/IID programs.  In the ‘90s, we developed smaller homes and supports for people living in their own apartments.   In 2003, Spring Glen, the first continuing care retirement community exclusively for seniors with developmental disabilities in North Carolina, and one of the first in the country, opened its doors. 
RSI has grown from a single home for 6 individuals, to 16 supervised-living homes, including a continuing care retirement community, a supported-living apartment program, and a vocational & learning services program. We now support over 120 individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. RSI is led by a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors, who are acknowledged leaders in their respective fields, as well as senior leadership and employees who have decades of experience in providing services and supports to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
RSI is proud of our growth, though the true measure of success is not in what we’ve built, but in the success achieved by the people we support.  For the children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities that RSI supports, we see all kinds of success each and every day.  These successes take many different forms for different people.  For some, success is moving out of a childhood home or making a new friend.  For others, it is finding a job, taking part in an art class, participating in a civic group, or giving back to their community through volunteerism.  For still others, success is defined as being able to do what you want to do.  All people define success in their own terms.