Use accessibleGO for Travel Accommodation

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Two young women with disabilities holding up their fists in a fun, "ready to fight" pose. Text reads, "Welcome members of The Arc! Sign up today for accessibleGO."The Arc is proud to announce a partnership with accessibleGO, the first full-service travel platform for people with disabilities. Customers can book hotels, flights, rental cars with hand controls, wheelchair vans, accessible rides, and mobility rentals all in one place on accessibleGO. Create a free account here.

accessibleGO is the first-ever hotel booking service built exclusively for people with accessible needs.

Learn about the history of accessibleGo:

AccessibleGO was inspired by Emma Eljas, the mother of accessibleGO cofounder Miriam Eljas Goldman. Emma was a longtime wheelchair user with multiple sclerosis, who split her time between serving as commissioner on the Valley Transportation Authority Disability Advisory Commission in her hometown of Silicon Valley, working to improve accessibility for regional transportation, and using a wheelchair-lift van to explore the sights and sounds of her local Bay Area region.

Through Emma’s eyes, Miriam witnessed the numerous challenges faced by people with accessible needs when they traveled. No amount of careful planning seemed to help. Even calling ahead could simply mean being misinformed by a well-intentioned employee and arriving to find that a hotel bed was completely unusable with a wheelchair.

There was plenty about traveling with accessible needs that could get a person down. But, inspired by her mother’s can-do attitude and her lifelong work for the accessible needs community, Miriam felt like there was something more she could do.

On travel websites, it was standard for people to post reviews about a hotel’s various amenities (check-in, how comfortable the beds are, food quality, etc.), but these reviews did not usually include any details about accessibility-related features. Miriam thought there could be a space where travelers with accessibility needs could share important details and real-time information with each other about accessibility features and verify the accuracy and utility of those features, so that travelers could be confident they were going to be safe and comfortable on their journeys. The way Miriam saw it, this simple information, shared within the community, could completely change the game for travel with accessibility-needs.

The vision of accessibleGO is to create a platform for travelers with disabilities to access information, share experiences, and be inspired to travel the world.

The Arc Sends Letter of Support for the International Children With Disabilities Protection Act

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The Arc sent a letter supporting the inclusion of the International Children with Disabilities Protection Act in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill would provide funds to train individuals internationally to advocate for children with disabilities to remain at home in their communities.

The Arc Submits Testimony to the Senate Finance Committee on Child Care

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The Arc submitted comments for the record to the Senate Finance Committee following their hearing on the state of child care. The Arc emphasized the importance of federal funding to support the child care system as well as reforms needed to ensure greater access and inclusion for children with disabilities.

The Arc Sends Letter Encouraging Swift Passage of Autism CARES Act

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The Arc expressed its strong support for the Autism CARES Act, which is critical legislation for research and training programs. The proposed bill reauthorizes the programs for another five years. The Arc encouraged the bill to pass quickly to ensure the current bill does not expire.

The Arc Responds to FDA’s Proposed Rule to Ban Electro-Stimulation Devices for Aggressive or Self-Injurious Behavior

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The Arc submitted comments to a proposed rule by the FDA to ban electrical stimulation devices for aggressive or self-injurious behavior. These devices are used by only one institution in Massachusetts, and The Arc has been fighting for decades to protect its residents from this abuse.

Intersections of Disability and Rurality: Elevating Family Voices

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In this recorded webinar, you will hear from Jessica Curd about rural caregiving and disability. She talks about how poverty, living in rural areas, caregiving, and having a disability can overlap and create higher risks and vulnerability. She also talks about a study she did with Dr. John Keesler. They listened to families in rural areas with kids with autism and let them share their experiences. Jessica explains how they did the study and what they found. She also talks about ideas from the families for how to help more.

Download the presentation here.

Introduction to The Arc@School Advocacy Curriculum in Spanish

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These recorded webinars provide a brief overview of the Spanish version of The Arc@School’s Special Education Advocacy Curriculum. The curriculum provides basic information that parents, educators, and non-attorney advocates need to support students and families in navigating the special education system. Watch the webinar to learn more about the content of the curriculum, how to sign up to receive an account, what to expect after signing up, and more.

IN ENGLISH:

IN SPANISH:

The Arc Responds to HHS’ Proposed Rule on Head Start Program Performance Standards

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The Arc submitted a comment on the proposed rules to update the Head Start standards. The Arc’s comments focused on the issues of restraint and seclusion on young children.

Talk About Sexual Violence: Phase Three Final Report

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Transforming Health Care to Address and Prevent Sexual Violence of People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Final Report 

Health care providers hold vital positions in the growing national movement to address sexual assault. The overarching goals of the multi-year Talk About Sexual Violence (TASV) project were to raise the alarm about this silent epidemic, promote trauma-informed practices in health care, and compel action to prevent sexual trauma suffered in communities across the country.

This comprehensive summary report provides key findings, innovative solutions, and a call to action from survivors with disabilities, health care professionals, and other advocates.

This final report is provided both in a written format and as a video.

Shifting Our View: A Person-Centered Journey

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In this webinar, Lori Ropa, Executive Director of The Arc of Jefferson, Clear Creek, and Gilpin Counties, discusses how she embarked on a journey with their advocacy team during COVID to “shift their views” and attempted to understand the thoughts and feelings of the people who came to support them. Lori’s team developed personas and mapped people’s journeys through The Arc through the lens of each persona. They then developed actionable items to make the advocacy experience even more positive for the people coming to their organization for support.

Download presentation here.