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The Arc Joins #GivingTuesday

#GivingTuesday_Shareable_ImageThe Arc is joining the national #GivingTuesday movement again this year and we need your help!

As part of The Arc’s family, please help us kick off the holiday season by joining millions in taking collaborative action to improve their local communities and give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support to help create a better world.

Join us in harnessing the power of social media to demonstrate and expand the vibrant community that makes up The Arc’s Family. Please show your support on social media to inspire and encourage your family, friends and network to take action as well this #GivingTuesday.

Millions of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families are depending on The Arc. This #GivingTuesday, show that they can count on you by participating in one of the following ways:

  • Donate
  • Share your support by posting our “I Support The Arc” Button on Facebook or Twitter and tag The Arc and #GivingTuesday
  • Encourage your friends and family to do the same.

The Arc recognizes that all the work we do would not be possible without our family and that not all support comes in the same way. Thank you!

Help The Arc kick off the holiday season today and Achieve with Us!

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Planning for a Future in the Workforce: Jobs, Skills, and Supports

Planning for a Future in The Workforce: Jobs, Skills, and Supports

To mark Disability Employment Awareness Month, The Arc’s Center for Future Planning convened thought leaders on a webinar to discuss how people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families should plan for a future in the workforce. If you missed it, you are not out of luck – check out this quick summary.

Planning

An ideal person-centered plan provides an accurate picture of the skills and interests of a person with IDD. The plan should also outline the support a person with IDD needs to be successful and be used as a document to lay the foundation for a successful career in the workforce. As Anne Roehl, Institute on Community Inclusion, University of Minnesota, noted, “We should be exploring opportunities before the old job gets boring. We should always be asking what the person wants to learn next.”

Exploring Employment Opportunities

In addition to exploring job-training programs, we should provide people with IDD with the same tools and resources that people without disabilities use to get jobs. John Kramer, PhD, at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston pointed out that “people without disabilities try out jobs, get paid, and if they don’t like it, they leave. In the disability employment world, we don’t often think of it that way. People with disabilities also benefit from getting a variety of experiences.”

It is important for people with IDD to get an understanding of different employment opportunities and they should be encouraged to explore these possibilities during high school. People with IDD should also be encouraged to pursue internships and informational interviews in order to continue identifying jobs that might be of interest to them.

Understanding Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace

The Americans with Disabilities Act bars employers from discriminating against people with disabilities and provides for reasonable accommodations in the workplace. Melanie Whetzel, Lead Consultant at the Job Accommodation Network highlighted the importance of people with IDD and their advocates understanding their rights and responsibilities under the ADA.

Challenges can arise when an employee gets a new supervisor. Melanie pointed out that the likelihood of continuity increases if accommodations are put in place for the person with IDD through a formal process rather than informally with a supervisor. Use of a formal process increases the number of people who know about the accommodations for the person with IDD and understand why they are effective.

Support in the Workplace

Thought leaders agreed that it’s critical for people with IDD to strengthen workplace relationships, which will help with integrating them into workplace teams. A person with IDD’s supporters should always be looking at how to improve conditions and training in the workplace.

For example, once a person with IDD is in a job they may be interested in other workplace duties and express an interest in training. Acquiring additional job skills is important not only for the person with IDD, but it’s also beneficial to the employer when employees learn new skills.

Technology

Technology is advancing and webinar panelists emphasized the importance of access to technology in all aspects of the person’s life. Even if it isn’t relevant to the job today, it could be in the future.

The panelists agreed that use of technology in the workplace should be a priority so that people with IDD are not left behind. We should remind employers that there might be a need for on-the-job-training. Breaking down a process can enable a person with IDD to learn the essential elements of what is needed to use a piece of technology on the job.

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October Is National Disability Employment Month

Nicole Jorwic, J.D., Director of Rights Policy for The Arc

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the advancements in making employment for individuals with disabilities a reality, and also, on how much work is left to be done. As the Employment First movement has been sweeping across the country, it is important to remember why a job is so important to an individual with a disability. My brother is 26 and has autism, I asked him why getting a job is important to him, this was his response:

“I think that a job is essential to a person with a disability because it gives us purpose, and common ground to build on with the rest of the world. All my siblings get so much of their identities from their jobs, I should have the same chance. All my brothers and sisters in disability deserve the opportunities to work in our communities, for fair pay, so that we can fulfill our destinies.”

As we work in Washington, DC and on the state-level to ensure that policies and practices converge to make the road to employment smoother for individuals with disabilities, we must remember that a job is an essential part of what gives someone standing in their community. Individuals with disabilities are succeeding in meaningful careers in a wide range of private businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations, while others are becoming entrepreneurs with their own micro-businesses.

We moved from a time when the thought of individuals with disabilities having a job was a dream, through a time when the only options were sheltered workshops, into a new era where there is meaningful and competitive work for individuals with disabilities. The value in having a response to “what do you do?” is immeasurable for individuals with disabilities across the country, including my brother Chris.

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Celebrating Catalysts for Employment

The Arc’s Catalyst Awards were created to recognize individuals, businesses, and other organizations that are catalysts for achievement in the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) we would like to highlight three of our 2015 Catalyst Award winners that have distinguished themselves as champions in creating employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Acadia Windows and Doors, winner of Small Business Employer of the Year Award, is located in Aberdeen, MD. The business partners with The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region to not only employ individuals with IDD, but to educate other local employers about the importance of including people with disabilities in the workforce. Changes that have been made at the plant to accommodate employees with IDD have actually created a safer work environment for all employees, leading Acadia Windows and Doors to win the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition award from Occupational Health and Safety Administration.


SAP
was awarded National Employer of the Year for the work done through its Autism at Work Initiative. The initiative, headed by Jose Velasco, was started in 2013 and has set a goal of having 1 percent of the company’s total workforce be people on the autism spectrum by 2020. Through a partnership with the Danish nonprofit Specialisterne and The Arc@Work, SAP has successfully hired 12 individuals on the spectrum at pilot sites in Palo Alto, CA and Philadelphia, PA. SAP is currently in the process of hiring up to 17 more individuals with IDD at the Philadelphia site this fall.

Tom Wheeler, winner of the Federal Government Advocate of the Year, is the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC and created the Disability Advisory Committee of the FCC. Thanks to Tom’s outstanding work 7 individuals with IDD have been hired at the FCC and are receiving competitive salaries and benefits; and these 7 are just the beginning. As the FCC continues to hire and support individuals with IDD it will serve as an example to the federal government as whole.

These three trailblazers have set outstanding examples of acceptance and inclusion for individuals with disabilities in the workplace. Their commitment to an inclusive work culture has created valuable opportunities for their employees with IDD and allows individuals with IDD to live more independently and as active members of their communities.

We have a long way to go in realizing the goal of higher rates of employment for people with IDD – today, 85% of people with IDD are unemployed. Are you feeling inspired to become a catalyst for change, and willing to work with us to unlock the talent of people with IDD to better their lives and improve your workplace? To learn more about the employment related services available to chapters and businesses through The Arc@Work, please visit our website.

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A Weekend of Inspiration and Celebration

The Arc spent the first weekend of October in Indianapolis, Indiana, with nearly 800 attendees, listening to inspiring speakers and learning how to better serve the IDD community. Keynote speakers included Tim Shriver, Chairman of the Special Olympics, Derrick Feldmann, creator of the Millennial Impact Report, and Emily Travis of NOFAS. Fifty-one breakout sessions, a Self-Advocacy Symposium, NCE Pre-Convention, and our inaugural Catalyst Awards provided ideas and inspiration to carry The Arc’s movement into the next 65 years and build a stronger and more inclusive future. If you couldn’t attend—you missed out!—but can access most of the presenter’s slides from sessions on the Convention website.

If you couldn’t make it this year or are already looking forward to the next one, mark your calendar for October 27-29, 2016 for the National Convention and International Forum we will be holding jointly with Inclusion International in Orlando FL. We wanted to give you a sneak-peek of some of the photos we captured throughout the weekend. Stay tuned for more, and thanks to every attendee for making the weekend so special.

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From Small Towns to the White House, The Arc’s Interns’ Perspectives on Celebrating 25 Years of the ADA

By Taylor Woodard and Mike Nagel. July 26, 2015 will mark the 25th anniversary of an important, but too often overlooked, moment in civil rights history: the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Arc’s Paul Marchand public policy interns, Taylor Woodard from Junction, Texas, and Mike Nagel from Wyndmere, North Dakota, both of whom ventured into the nation’s capital determined to change disability policy, had front-row seats to the White House’s official ADA commemoration. Here is a description of that historical occasion though their eyes.

We were in awe as we were escorted through the halls of the epicenter of U.S. government by various members of the Armed Forces. Once at the celebration, we excitedly wandered through elegant corridors and ornate rooms, nibbled hors d’oeuvres, and mingled with disability community leaders and advocates as we waited for the President’s remarks. Photos and videos do not do justice to the elegance of this magnificent building.

After we had soaked in the scenery for a bit, we made our way to the East Room, where the main event was to be held. We were fortunate to snag front-row seats to hear President Obama’s address. From here, we could see so many prominent figures of the disability rights movement: former Senators Tom Harkin and Bob Dole, former Congressman Tony Coelho, as well as Representative Steny Hoyer, House Minority Whip. Finally, the big moment arrived: President Obama, followed by Vice President Joe Biden, stepped up to the podium and began.

With great passion, the President spoke of “tear[ing] down barriers externally, but…also…internally.” He continued, proclaiming “That’s our responsibility as Americans and it’s our responsibility as fellow human beings.” For young advocates like us, the President’s words certainly ring true: attitudes in society can be, and often are, barriers in and of themselves. And we, as well as all advocates, must remember these truths as we strive for a more inclusive tomorrow.

In closing, President Obama poignantly outlined the accomplishments of the past 25 years as well as laid a path for the future. For us, this future would include ending unnecessary restraint and seclusion, assuring a high-quality education for all, creating supports and services for people with IDD to live and work in the community, and protecting rights to self-determination and quality of life.

As the crowd applauded, a very different cheer erupted several thousand miles away in two of the nation’s tiniest rural communities, as our proud parents watched their son and daughter shake the hand of the President, a moment we will never forget.

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Supreme Court Delivers Major Victory Against Housing Discrimination

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued several landmark decisions for all Americans, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

In a 6-3 opinion in King v. Burwell, the Supreme Court held that federal tax subsidies are being provided lawfully in those states that have decided not to run the marketplace exchanges for insurance coverage. This is a huge win for the Affordable Care Act and people with disabilities throughout the country.

Less prominent, but a tremendous victory for civil rights, is the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., a ruling that will support the continued progress of people with disabilities and other minorities toward full inclusion in all aspects of American life.

In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that housing discrimination is illegal, even if it is not intentional. This decision upholds a longstanding principle under the Fair Housing Act, known as “disparate impact.” By finally settling the question of whether the language of the Fair Housing Act allows for claims based on disparate impact, as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does, the decision supports our nation’s progress toward integrated, inclusive communities that foster opportunities for all Americans.

In the case, a fair housing advocacy organization sued the state of Texas, alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act for awarding federal tax credits in a way that kept low-income housing out of predominantly white neighborhoods, thereby denying minorities access to affordable housing in communities where they might access better schools and greater economic opportunity. The state was not accused of intentionally excluding African-Americans from predominantly white neighborhoods, but of structuring its tax credit assignments in such a way that they had a discriminatory effect.

At stake in this case was not only the claims brought against the state of Texas, but also whether the key legal protections provided under disparate impact would continue to be available under the Fair Housing Act.

As noted in the Supreme Court’s majority opinion, Congress enacted the Fair Housing Act of 1968 following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “to eradicate discriminatory practices within a sector of the Nation’s economy.” As amended, today the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of disability, race, national origin, religion, gender, and familial status.

Disparate impact is a legal doctrine that holds that the Fair Housing Act and other civil rights laws prohibit policies and practices that discriminate, whether or not the policies were motivated by the intent to harm a particular group.

For over 40 years, the disparate impact doctrine has been a key tool protecting the rights of people with disabilities, people of color, and other groups covered by the Fair Housing Act and other civil rights laws to have equal opportunity to live and work in the communities that that they choose. It has formed the basis for federal regulations and has been used extensively by the Department of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and civil rights organizations to fight housing and employment discrimination across the United States.

The ability to allege disparate impact under the Fair Housing Act has been upheld by 11 federal appeals courts, but the Supreme Court has never before issued an opinion in a fair housing disparate impact case.

Fortunately, a majority of the Supreme Court upheld the disparate impact standard, finding that recognition of disparate impact claims is consistent with the Fair Housing Act’s central purpose.

This week’s decision marks an important milestone in our nation’s path toward integration and inclusion. It’s a major victory that shores up the progress that people with disabilities and civil rights organizations have made over the last four decades, and strengthens our ongoing work to end discrimination in all its forms.

To learn more:

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Calling It Modern Doesn’t Make It Good: No “Modern Asylum” Will Benefit This Generation of People With Disabilities

Recently, Dr. Christine Montross made what The Arc believes to be a deeply flawed argument in favor of institutionalization for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), or as she put it, “a modern asylum”. Dr. Montross failed to address a number of key factors in her piece, but what was most disturbing was the complete lack of reference to the desires of individuals with IDD.

When The Arc was founded, nearly 65 years ago, it was all too common for doctors to tell parents that the best place for their child with IDD was in an institution. Emboldened by their collective desire to raise their children as part of their families and communities, and their refusal to accept institutionalization as the only option, The Arc’s founders fought for inclusion. To this day, The Arc stands by the belief that all people, regardless of disability, deserve the opportunity for a full life in their community where they can live, learn, work and play through all stages of life.

The vast body of research on deinstitutionalization has established that moving from institutional settings and into smaller community-based ones leads to better outcomes for people with IDD (Kim, Larson, & Lakin, 1999; Larson & Lakin, 1989, 2012). In fact, studies continue to show that people with IDD benefit from moving to the community from an institutional setting. More powerful than any of the research are the stories from individuals who transitioned from institutions into the community. These stories breathe life into this research and The Arc’s mission.

Dr. Montross’ op-ed offended many readers, but it did highlight a systemic issue. Many health care providers will not accept people with IDD as clients, or do not feel that they have the expertise to appropriately serve them. Furthermore, there are practitioners who will not accept clients who are reliant on Medicaid as their primary payer of health care services due to low reimbursement rates. Combined, these issues create a system that doesn’t always adequately serve all people with IDD.

Weaknesses in the ability of some community-based mental health treatment systems to adequately meet the needs of clients does not necessitate the return of people to archaic institutional settings. Instead, it should lead to a public outcry for vast and immediate improvements in the capacity of communities to provide mental/behavioral health care to those who need it. The Arc strongly believes that the solution is not to move back to antiquated institutions. The way forward does not, as Dr. Montross states, “[include] a return to psychiatric asylums.” The way forward includes serving all citizens and demands an evolution in the attitudes of health care practitioners which includes the belief that all people, regardless of disability, deserve the same opportunities to enjoy full lives in their communities.

While there is no denying the issues she references, as often as possible the choice of where to live must be made by the individuals who will be impacted. And, as history has shown, the approach suggested by Dr. Montross has been attempted in the past and it resulted in Willowbrook and countless other atrocities in the name of “patient care.” While community supports for individuals with IDD can benefit from improvement, we have come too far to take a step back towards segregated settings.

We welcome a discussion with Dr. Montross. Our hope is next time she has a national platform like the New York Times she chooses to consider the desires of individuals with IDD and the history of isolation and oppression they faced in institutions before making suggestions about what is best for them.

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The ABLE Act Is Now Law

On Friday, December 19, President Obama signed the ABLE Act into law. It was part of a larger bill of end of year tax provisions approved by Congress in the closing days of the session. To learn more about this law, visit the Capitol Insider blog.

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Thank You! You Mean the World to The Arc

This year at The Arc’s National Convention we asked the over 800 attendees, “What Does The Arc Mean to You?” and the response blew us away! With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we here at The Arc have been contemplating the same question and our resounding answer is YOU!

The Arc is incomplete without you and your dedication to our mission to ensure that those with intellectual and developmental disabilities live a fully inclusive life. You breathe life into our mission and together we will be successful.

From the board and staff of the National office of The Arc, please accept our sincere and deep appreciation of YOU and your ongoing support of our cause nationally, statewide and locally.

We could not have accomplished all that we did this year without you, so this holiday season we wanted to THANK YOU for your commitment, support and generosity to The Arc.

From all of us here at The Arc, we wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.