History of Project Memphis

Project Memphis was developed by Dr. Alton Quick (1931-2015), Professor at the University of Memphis in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, he taught at the University from 1970 to 1992. While there, he developed and directed Project MEMPHIS, a program designed to serve the family and educational needs of developmentally delayed pre-school children.

The spirit of Dr. Quick’s work with special needs children has continued at the University under the name of Project Memphis. We have a 50+ year history of serving families of young children with developmental delays and disabilities and their families. 

Project Memphis has transitioned over the years under the sponsorship of various state departments to a growing Early Intervention Resource Agency (EIRA) and Vendor Provider for the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging (DDA)/Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS). 

Today, Dr. Laura Casey, professor in Instruction Curriculum Leadership, is the Principal Investigator for the Project Memphis grant programs. Her commitment to serving young children (aged 0-5) with special needs and their families continues to be supported through sponsorship from the TN Department of Disability and Aging (DDA). These recent awards are the result of Casey’s Under Dr. Casey’s leadership, the University has proven the ability to sustain, maintain, and grow a long-standing home and community grant with the state known as Project Memphis (PM). This (EI) service-based grant has grown exponentially in terms of the number of families seen and the type of services provided since 2019.