Meet Sarah Davis of Tempe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Davis

Hi Sarah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Sarah is the founder and owner of Believe I Can Academy (BICA), a nonprofit organization serving Arizona’s special needs community through private tutoring, advocacy, independent living skills, social emotional needs, providing camps and more. BICA has served over 100 individuals and families. Students who have struggled academically, socially and with behavioral issues have learned to thrive having made significant progress in their studies, control over behavior, making friends and becoming contributing members to the community. Sarah has been recognized for business leadership while, BICA, BICA staff, students and individuals served by BICA have been recognized for academic excellence and community service. In 2022 Sarah was one of 48 women, awarded the Most Intriguing Woman of Decade, with this honor, her students Chloe and Mary Cate wrote winning essays on how Ms. Sarah inspired them. This is a common theme at BICA, not just by the youth, but also the volunteers, staff and parents. She continues to empower and support her community through continually giving back, requiring nothing in return. I am honored to nominate a woman who encourages everyone around her to support each other inside and outside the walls of Believe I Can Academy. She is a driving force in creating opportunities for positive change.
Believe I Can Academy (BICA) engages families and communities to encourage and enrich the lives of the differently abled. We strive to create an independent and inclusive environment promoting individual success including advocacy, academics, workplace skills, behavior, social-emotional, and home success. Advocacy allows BICA to reach the client, educational team, schools, current, and future students. The effort to bridge the gap, teach and support the team has created a positive continuum of learning and teaching.
BICA provides education to individuals who have Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Orthopedic, Hearing, and Visual Impairments as well as verbal and non-verbal deficits. They are challenged with getting appropriate education/services/support in the public /private education/government systems. We serve individuals from all cities in the Phoenix area, many traveling more than 40 miles to attend our programs/services/events. BICA provides fully inclusive programs (academic, life skills, socio-emotional, behavior modification, and more). BICA is headquartered in Tempe, AZ, near many universities, allowing volunteer and continuing education opportunities for our community and surrounding schools/agencies/businesses. We collaborate with many non-profit organizations.
BICA meets individuals at their present levels helping them grow their personal skills and gain their independence. We don’t see their disabilities, we see their abilities.
Sarah Davis has a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and English, Master’s Degree in Special Education, and an associate degree in Culinary Arts.
Sarah Davis is a special education teacher and an advocate who provides a wholistic approach to learning. As an advocate, she navigates the maze of programs and supports specifically needed for each individual via the school, community, and government agencies. Each agency must legally provide accommodations and support, she bridges the gap between the family and agencies; optimizing the interventions needed to maximize growth and independence.
BICA’s lease expired during the pandemic, and was forced to relocate to a campus which needed modifications to support the varied ability levels without an interruption in services. The students increased from 7 to 25 overnight and remained open for our families (first responders/essential workers, including their siblings). BICA provided hybrid learning and hosted learning pods for online education at their own schools as well as after-school care.
All special education students were left behind during the pandemic, so BICA created a successful hybrid learning environment where everyone was successful and enjoyed learning online and in person. BICA’s staff completely changed the way they worked and became stronger together. BICA retained 90% of the staff during COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual google classroom platform was developed containing over 60 pages of individualized supplemental curriculum uploaded weekly. Lessons and personalized online platforms were available anywhere in the world at any time. The hybrid learning environment allowed everyone to thrive and make significant academic and social-emotional progress.
Building a strong community is important as well as educating the public about the abilities of differently abled individuals. During the shutdown, we walked and danced through our neighborhood having impromptu dance parties with strangers and “chalking” the community with positive pictures and words. The thirst for knowledge grew during the pandemic allowing the students an opportunity to explore impactful historical individuals. They chose six historically prominent individuals to display a 70 ft mural benefiting the community surrounding us. “The Six”: Helen Keller, John Lewis, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandhi, and Harriet “Minty” Tubman.
BICA is a non-traditional, non-profit private tutoring organization serving individuals with a variety of needs, specifically academics, social emotional and vocational skills. Our primary funding source is a voucher program for education. The monies are tied to each individual (amount determined by educational eligibility) and strictly monitored by the state of Arizona. During the pandemic we did not qualify for any subsidies due to our increase in students and services. BICA diversified it’s board of directors, creating an all-female board which includes an educator, two local small business owners and a full-time caregiver creating more sustainable outcomes.
BICA provides individualized instruction centered around the student and their need. We communicate daily with the families, creating learning/teaching techniques specific to each family to carry out at home. BICA is non-traditional with our learning groups, all students no matter their ability or age learn together. This fosters true and meaningful long-lasting interpersonal relationships as well as personal and academic growth. BICA’s core values and education are wholistic in nature, serving the whole individual, not just in the core subject areas. “Academics” for our learners include eating, dressing, walking as well as reading, writing and math.
We limit our technology, this allows us to continue to embed the many therapeutic interventions throughout the day, encouraging a more wholistic approach to learning and growing.
We all work together to clean our environment, learning and taking pride in our space. We built an all-inclusive kitchen where we teach/learn cooking techniques, host guest chefs and make amazing food. We have just created a space to cultivate a garden so we can learn where food comes from as well as provide an opportunity for a micro farmers market that will be open to the public.
BICA aspires to serve the full continuum of needs and services for the life span of an individual with disabilities. We strive to create a space where everyone feels safe to make mistakes, laugh, thrive, and gain independence. Our teaching/learning methods will provide the opportunity for students to become independent and increase their vocational and living opportunities.
Outstanding is creating opportunities for personal success. We measure outstanding by the growth of the students and families.
One of our students came to us with no friends, no academic accomplishment, and an inability to be around others safely. She is now sitting with her friends, helping her friends learn, and has personal relationships with everyone, which is outstanding!
Another student had limited mobility, he was dependent on his walker. With the help of his friends at BICA, he is now walking independently around campus, jumping, and dancing!
A student Sarah advocated for started our online program during COVID, he had not made progress academically or socially in years in his self-contained classroom. He was adopted after years of trauma and abuse, presenting as a volatile and dejected child. After a year online his self-confidence soared, he can now read, write, and is successful in his general education and resource classes. He is now on grade level in almost all of his classes.
A failing and discouraged 8-year-old student reached out to BICA for educational advocacy. After educational tests were administered, she was identified as struggling with Attention Deficit Disorder, Dyslexia, and executive functioning limitations. After years of work, advocacy, and fighting for compensatory education, she overcame her educational struggles and is currently attending a prestigious private school with all A’s and B’s. She is now a leader, advocating for herself and others. Her self-confidence enabled her to join a competitive traveling volleyball team on their way to Nationals. She has done such an amazing job with her education she has been recruited her junior year of high school with a full ride scholarship to college.
Parents are a key component in the success of the individual and their desire to continue to strive for personal excellence. If we collaborate and build a team with that is individualized and has a strong foundation, anything is possible. The individual will be more successful if BICA and parents are a united front and work together for personal success.
Believing in the person, not being defined by what they can’t do, allows BICA to create an environment rich in academic and personal achievements. This has changed lives. Staff, parents, and students work together to support one another. Each program encourages the student to rely on one another first, this is not only uplifting but promotes positive systemic change. Real and lasting relationships between individuals with developmental disabilities are formed. This is unheard of in our community.
Defining an individual by their disability creates lost opportunities for not only them, but their friends, family, and community. BICA sees the ability, not the disability in each person who walks through the door, creating an individualized curriculum and expectation for personal and academic victories. BICA strives to create a limitless environment providing experiences in and out of the classroom for both the individuals and their families. If we asked for permission to create an establishment like BICA we would have been denied. In the eyes of formal institutions, we must segregate individuals by their disabilities and age, at BICA we encourage collaboration and inclusion. If we were not unconventional, we wouldn’t have the ability to provide such well-rounded instruction.
The vision of BICA is to create a full continuum of programs and services to build individual strength and confidence to go out into the world and make a positive impact. Traditionally our population is viewed as being “less than, a burden, and incompetent” and we want to rebuild our communities with the idea that everyone is able to positively impact the world. It has always been our mission to serve the full continuum of life and programs to individuals with developmental disabilities.
Since we have moved, we have more space and opportunities to grow our programs. We have built BICA on garage sales, grit, and a belief that our programming is going to change the way people see the differently abled. To continue to serve in this capacity, we need to expand our programs. No matter the obstacle we overcome, not as an individual, but as a team of determined BICA believers. There is no task too great for us to overcome. We serve individuals all over the greater Phoenix area and we plan to expand once our programming is solidified. This program has the potential to be duplicated worldwide.
COVID hit right as we were beginning to grow. Due to the vulnerability of our clients we had to close our doors to all outside supports, fundraising, volunteers, and public events. We were not eligible for any COVID relief and with the minimal staff we were not able to apply for PPE funding. Since we are a micro business, we do not have a cleaning crew, technology, financial, or human resource team to help us manage and navigate the colossal changes necessary to serve during the pandemic. As a team, we rallied together, pooled resources, and came out of COVID more determined than ever to continue to be change makers. We identified that our strength is in our community. Without their support, the online platform, weekly uploading of curriculum, and YouTube videos on our weekly content would not have been possible. We now know that the path we are taking to educate individuals with disabilities may not be conventional, but it is successful!
Due to many of the individual’s disabilities, they can’t often participate “or be included” in community activities, or rites of passage, such as trick-or-treating, birthdays, festivals, holiday parties, or fitness programs. We host and provide the opportunities, otherwise lost in most environments. We don’t ask for permission to celebrate life to the fullest!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been many challenges along the way, most centered around the misconception that we are a daycare. The academic rigor at Believe I Can Academy is astonishing, the kids are so eager to learn. They dictate what they want to learn about, the list continues to grow.

Funding has been difficult. We are a tiny organization serving various individuals with different services.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
The entire BICA Crew deserves credit, past and present. This organization is a collaboration, everyone has helped make it successful. Each student/camper brings something special to the program. Addie Edwards has been one of our biggest cheerleaders and is always available to volunteer. She is on our Board of Directors and Marketing Committee. Tricia Simpson has volunteered since we started and continues to support BICA as our bookkeeper and always supporting us in all capacities. Michelle Estrada and her children support us every other Saturday at our marketing committee meetings. Her daughter is one of BICA’s first students, her commitment to seeing us grow is amazing. She is always finding ways to support BICA and help it grow. Our staff, therapists, parents, students, and volunteers make opening the doors every day possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.believeicanacademy.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believeicanacademy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelieveICanAcademyAZ
• Youtube: Believe I Can Academy @believeicanacademy8649
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@believeicanacademy?lang=en