WASHINGTON – Students with disabilities and their families are experiencing yet another disrupted school year, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to confront educators and families and creates new challenges in almost every aspect of education. The pandemic underscores the long history of disparities in education for students with disabilities and their families and the need for overdue improvements to the system.

Today, The Arc is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation to expand our support of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. It is a critical time to ensure that students and families are informed and equipped to advocate for what they need to achieve. The funding will allow The Arc@School to broadly disseminate information about special education to 350,000 people – leveraging our new Spanish-language resources to reach Spanish-speaking communities that have been historically underserved and provide information to assist parents to better understand and more confidently navigate the complicated special education system.

“We are excited to receive support once again from The Coca-Cola Foundation. It will allow us to help students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and families feel empowered to gain the benefits of public education in the least restrictive setting possible, as mandated by federal and state law,” said Peter Berns, Chief Executive Officer of The Arc of the United Sates. “Throughout the pandemic, time and time again, families have had to fight for their right to be included in school in a manner that is equitable and set up for success. Equal access to education is a long-standing priority of The Arc and we will keep pushing for better for as long as it takes. We thank The Coca-Cola Foundation for staying committed to education for people with disabilities and for their generous support.”

The Arc@School is The Arc’s National Center on Special Education Advocacy. The Arc@School supports students with IDD (and other disabilities) and their families to successfully navigate the special education system and get the supports and services they need to thrive in school. The program also supports educators to better understand and fulfill their responsibilities toward students and families in the special education system.

The Arc advocates for and serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including Down syndrome, autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, cerebral palsy and other diagnoses. The Arc has a network of nearly 600 chapters across the country promoting and protecting the human rights of people with IDD and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes and without regard to diagnosis.

Editor’s Note: The Arc is not an acronym; always refer to us as The Arc, not The ARC and never ARC. The Arc should be considered as a title or a phrase.

The Coca-Cola Foundation

Established in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has invested more than $1.2 billion globally to protect the environment, empower women to thrive and to enhance the overall well-being of people and communities.