The Arc logo

Shooting Beauty

/in /by Trudy Jacobson

I was approached to preview a new documentary film about an aspiring fashion photographer whose career takes an unexpected turn when she discovers a hidden world of beauty at a day program for people living with significant disabilities. Shot over a decade, the film puts you in the shoes of Courtney Bent as she overcomes her own prejudices when she begins adapting cameras for the individuals at the program, providing them the opportunity to take pictures and videos from their own unique perch (many of them are in wheel chairs).  Making video and photography accessible for these new photographers to document their world and their interpretation of “beauty” enables us to see a whole different kind of documentary.

Shooting Beauty presents an opportunity to see beauty from a different vantage point. As an organization focused on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, The Arc appreciates the respectful and sensitive way the filmmakers reflected Courtney’s transformation while showcasing the characters’ growing artistic perspectives. It’s an excellent depiction of what it means to be able to fully participate in one’s community through artistic expression.  I enjoyed watching the film come together and think you will too.

There’s some buzz building up about this film, with the Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital launching a patch program for it and Best Buddies International officially partnering with the producers to screen it. And, now the producers have officially launched a website dedicated to promoting the film and it’s many programs.

The Arc logo

Blue Beanie Day 2011: Celebrating Web Standards

/in /by David A. Kennedy

Today, The Arc’s web team donned blue beanies. Kevin Wenzel (The Arc’s web producer) and I got a few strange looks, even after he sent out a staff-wide email explaining why web designers and developers everywhere put on blue beanies today.

Colleagues keep asking us and we’ll keep telling them why. We support web standards and the hats signify that we’ll follow that set of best practices for standardized, accessible, universal web design and development.

In the past 18 months, The Arc has made a lot of progress toward doing a better job embracing web standards. We redesigned our main website, rolled out three new blogs and launched two additional sites – keeping web standards in mind from the very beginning. Right now, we’re working hard toward making small tweaks on the back-end of our sites that will make a big difference when it comes to web standards and web accessibility. We’ll share more on that as we move forward.

In the meantime, at least you know why web staffers everywhere are wearing blue beanies, and why Kevin and I look a bit like lumberjacks today.

The Arc logo

An Update on Eliza: “Why Not Me?”

/in /by Shelly DeButts

Readers of The Arc’s blog might remember Eliza Schaaf, the college student with Down syndrome who was removed from her art class at Southern Oregon University just a few hours shy of completion last year because school officials determined that she did not meet academic standards for participating.

Eliza, her family, fellow students and others in the community petitioned the school to allow her to finish the course, but ultimately they declined. Eliza’s family started a blog for her detailing her experiences and allowing others to express support for her. Throughout the spring and summer of 2011, Eliza asked the school to address the issue of her exclusion and garnered support in the form of a petition signed by all of her classmates and a resolution passed by the school’s Student Senate. Although the school eventually did revise some of their policies, they would not respond to Eliza directly.

Although Eliza was disappointed by the outcome of that situation, she has moved on to bigger and better things! Students from Chapman University filmed a documentary about Eliza’s experiences. The film, called “Hold My Hand,” is currently screening at film festivals across the country and will be aired on Southern California Public Television. And, now Eliza is on a speaking tour advocating for inclusion at colleges and universities. In addition to being invited to participate on the keynote panel at the State of the Art Conference on Postsecondary Education and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities at George Mason University in Virginia, she has conducted workshops with SOU and Chapman University Students and it taking her “Why Not Me?” presentation to a variety of conferences in hopes of creating change in the way postsecondary educational institutions work to include students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Arc logo

Nationwide Emergency Alert Test May Not Have Visual Disclaimer

/in /by Shelly DeButts

On November 9, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. ET, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct the first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) consisting of an announcement on every TV and radio channel. This system allows FEMA to communicate important information to citizens in the event of a national emergency. The November 9 alter is ONLY a test of the notification system and no action is required.

However, some people watching cable television may receive only an audio – not visual – notice that this is only a test due to technical limitations of the system. People with hearing impairments will see what appears to be an actual emergency alert but will not see any text on the screen indicating that this is only a test. If this applies to you, don’t be alarmed if you see what appears to be an emergency alert on November 9, it is only a test and no action is required.

The Arc logo

The Arc in the News!

/in /by Suniti Bal

The Arc has been getting great news coverage both nationally and locally in the last few weeks. We wanted to share with you some of the most exciting stories.

  • New York Daily News – The Arc responds to Congresswoman Bachmann’s comments about vaccinations causing “mental retardation”.
  • msnbc.com – CEO of the Arc Peter V. Berns discusses the use of the R-word, and why it is unacceptable. This is also in response to Congresswoman Bachmann’s comments, but focuses more on the use of derogatory language to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as opposed to the lack of evidence for her claims about vaccinations.
  • NBC 9 News in Denver – A great piece about The Arc’s 60th Convention in Denver including an interview with CEO of The Arc, Peter V. Berns, footage of the convention, and an interview with an all-star volunteer and self-advocate Ann Rossart.
The Arc logo

The Arc: Featured in TIME Magazine

/in /by The Arc

Did you happen to read the September 12, 2011 issue of TIME Magazine? If so, you and 19 million readers nationwide would have seen a two-page spread all about The Arc. Missed it? Don’t worry, we have it here! The feature focuses on the incredible work The Arc and our network of 700+ Chapters does as illustrated through the stories of some of the people we serve.

The Arc logo

New Medicaid Resource Available From The Arc

/in /by The Arc

The Arc is excited to announce a valuable new resource available to help guide people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families through the complexities of Medicaid benefits, services and supports. The Medicaid Reference Desk offers detailed, state-by-state information about Medicaid benefits, a glossary of terms, answers to frequently asked questions, person-centered planning resources and a blog from The Arc’s training specialist about issues related to Medicaid, self-advocacy and person-centered planning.

Medicaid is the largest source of financing for disabilities services in the United States.  For people with disabilities and for those who provide their care, Medicaid serves as a valuable safety net.  Often the only source of financial assistance for health care, Medicaid plays a critical role for people with disabilities in providing coverage and access to care. Medicaid is, however, extremely complicated.  At least half of the funds for Medicaid programs come from the Federal government with the remainder coming from state funds.  Federal law contains detailed requirements and limitations on eligibility, services, and financing. But, state law varies widely.

This project was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities (Grant No. 90 DN0215). We encourage you to explore the Medicaid Reference Desk via www.thedesk.info.

The Arc logo

Office Move: Website, Email, and Phone Downtime

/in /by David A. Kennedy

The Arc is moving to new offices – beginning in the new location on Monday September 26. Our new address is 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20006.

During the moving process, portions of The Arc’s website, email system, and phone lines will be down for a period of time, starting Friday, September 23.

What Will be Effected?

  • The Arc’s main website: www.thearc.org
  • The Arc’s email system: you will not be able to contact staff via email.
  • The Arc’s phone lines: you will not be able to call The Arc’s main office in Washington, D.C.

What Will Not Be Effected?

How Will I Know When the Site Is Live Again?

The Arc logo

Did You Achieve New Heights With Us?

/in /by Suniti Bal

The Arc’s 60th National Convention was extremely productive and enjoyable for all attendees. Aside from the educational aspects of the convention, advocates from different corners of the nation were able to come together and get to know each other. By sharing the work they are doing locally and their stories, convention turned out to be a great networking opportunity in addition to a place for individuals to learn and grow together.

From the Board Meeting where important decisions on how to keep The Arc moving forward in 2012 were made, insightful breakout sessions where dozens of topics including standards for excellence in chapters and marketing were discussed, and finally the closing plenary where attendees were given a crash-course in community organizing by Don Elmer, a great deal was accomplished during the last day of Convention.

Excitement is already in the air for 2012’s Convention in Washington DC! The Arc will be taking their message international by partnering with Inclusion International for next year’s convention.

We look forward to hearing how chapters across the country are using new ideas and concepts they took away from convention. We are certain that everyone returned home invigorated and excited to continue working and advocating for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Please share with us in the comments any new ideas and programs that this year’s convention inspired!

The Arc logo

New Heights in Denver

/in /by Suniti Bal

Day one of The Arc’s National Convention was extraordinarily successful. This year’s theme “Achieving New Heights” resonated through each session on our agenda. Together we are achieving new heights and finding new and innovative ways to grow as a movement, as an organization, and as individual advocates.

In our first day of activities we had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Temple Grandin about issues facing individuals with autism and how to provide better employment opportunities for them, presented Ashley Wolfe and Ricard E. Hemp well deserved awards for their remarkable work in IDD research, and had the great pleasure of listening to Dr. David Braddock whose work remains a benchmark for advocates to use in their efforts to improve resources for families and their loved ones with IDD. Not to say we didn’t also have fun with events like “Lucky Nights at Lucky Strike” where Lauren Potter from the hit television show “Glee “spent the night bowling and dancing with other attendees.

Check back for more updates from Denver! In the meantime, to see photos from Convention, check out our blog or our Flickr set.