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What Can I Do to Raise Awareness About Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities?

/in /by Shelly DeButts

There’s a lot you can you do to raise awareness about intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in your community. And, since March is I/DD Awareness Month, that’s the perfect time to do your thing – we encourage you to pick at least one idea from the list below and make that your personal effort to raise I/DD awareness during March.

  • Post this as your status on Facebook at least once during March: March is Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Awareness Month. Help me celebrate the contributions of all people with I/DD by copying and posting this as your status during March. Get more information about I/DD at www.thearc.org.
  • Tweet this out on Twitter at least once during March: March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Be aware. Visit www.thearc.org.
  • Write a post for your blog about someone you know with an intellectual or developmental disability and how they have inspired you.
  • Since many people with disabilities rely on publicly funded services to fully participate in their communities, policy makers need to know you are concerned about continuing those services in the face of budget cuts during tough economic times. Contact your legislator today and let them know you expect them to enact public policy to assist people with I/DD.
  • Contact your local chapter of The Arc to volunteer or donate. Local chapters are on the front lines of advocacy efforts and provide the services and supports essential to people with I/DD and their families. Often they are lifelines for struggling families and they need your help to accomplish their goals.
  • Watch movies and TV shows that positively portray actors with disabilities and discuss them with your friends and family. Two actresses with Down syndrome are featured on the hit TV show Glee and were recently awarded The Arc’s Inclusion and Image Award for their positive portrayals.
  • Talk to your employer about their practices for recruiting and hiring people with I/DD. Many employers don’t realize just how much an employee with I/DD can contribute to the workplace. Tell them.
  • Support businesses that employ people with I/DD and make sure they know you noticed.
  • Comment on The Arc’s Facebook page and Twitter profile about what you are doing to raise awareness of I/DD.
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Temple Grandin to Keynote at Convention

/in /by Shelly DeButts

Dr. Temple Grandin, the real-life inspiration the biopic that recently won Claire Danes an Emmy and a Golden Globe award, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at The Arc’s National Convention in Denver, Colorado this September.

Dr. Grandin is a woman with autism who became one of the top scientists developing groundbreaking methods for the humane treatment of livestock. Make your plans now to attend the Convention this fall.

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Apply to Be on One of The Arc’s National Committees

/in /by The Arc

National Committees image

Do you want to make a big difference?

Then why not apply to be on one of The Arc’s national committees!

The Arc is seeking enthusiastic candidates to fill several roles. Community leaders, corporate executives and others willing to volunteer their time and service are encouraged to apply. We’re seeking individuals who are passionate about advocating for the betterment of the lives of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Committee positions are for one-year terms and recruitment is open until February 10, 2011.

If you wish to be considered, please complete the online Committee Application.

You can learn more about what The Arc does here and read about our 60 years of advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities here.

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How to Send Ron Barber Good Wishes

/in /by The Arc

One of The Arc’s own was hurt in the tragic shooting that took place in Arizona on Saturday. Thankfully, Ron Barber, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ district director and an advocate for The Arc of Tucson, is recovering.

The Arc of Tuscon sent an email on Monday to the local press, giving the public and disability community a way to send Ron good wishes and stay up to date on his condition:

Dear Arc Members and Friends:

As many of you know, our longtime friend and highly respected advocate for persons with disabilities, Ron Barber, was shot in Saturday’s tragic event. Many of you have asked for some information on his medical condition and now there is way for you to keep updated. And, best of all, you can send him your personal messages, which I encourage you to do.

Go to www.CaringBridge.org and register your name and email. There are no fees or hidden tricks with registering with CaringBridge. You will receive a return email confirming your email address, and then you can go to the site anytime and click on “Visit”. A box comes up and you will type in “ronbarber.” This will take you to his personal page where you can read about him and post personal messages.

All of us at The Arc of Tucson are keeping Ron and his family, as well as Gabrielle Giffords and others involved, in our prayers and I encourage you all to do the same.

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More State Budget Cuts Mean Fewer Civil Rights for People With I/DD

/in /by Kristen Bossi

NYSARC’s latest “News & Alerts/Legislative Advocacy Network” spotlights services to people with I/DD being cut by state governments across the nation to balance budgets and stem acute fiscal crises.

Budget cuts would be devastating to service providers and to those who receive services, like Maryland resident Ken Capone, who has cerebral palsy. Capone, a self-advocate and public policy coordinator for People on the Go said, “I just got approved for in-home services. I live with my mother. She’s in her 70s and is still my primary caregiver. I don’t want to lose the services that I just received because of the cuts. It’s scary what would happen if I did lose my services.”

From coast to coast – from Washington to Massachusetts – funding for basic services is at risk and thousands will be hit hard. The Maryland Secretary of the State’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene says “we’re beyond the point where painless cuts can be made.”

Recently we shared advocacy efforts by The Arc of Texas on behalf of more than 4,500 people with I/DD in Texas “trapped” in nursing homes providing inadequate care. The Arc and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities joined to file a class-action lawsuit against Texas along with six individuals with I/DD.

The Arc knows that most people receive better care in a community-based facility or in their own homes and in this instance, “Many are denied the opportunity to live where they choose.” said Mike Bright, executive director of The Arc of Texas.

Advocates know more budget cuts undermine the ability of an individual to make choices about where they live, work and enjoy the freedom to live independently. As one disability advocate in Boston said, “the bottom line is that the more budget cuts we endure, the more our civil rights are reduced.”

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The Arc and the Autism Society Team Up on the Autism NOW Center

/in /by Kristen Bossi

Autism NOW Logo imageThe Arc and the Autism Society are joining forces on Autism NOW: The National Autism Information and Resource Center, a new and dynamic National Initiative of The Arc funded by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities.

The partnership includes participation on the National Advisory Committee and providing information and referral services through the Autism Society’s AutismSourceTM national contact center. The Autism Society’s chapter network will also be tapped to share information with the broader autism community about the Autism NOW Center’s activities and resources.

The Autism Society has provided information and referral services to the community through AutismSource since 1971. Families can access AutismSource at www.autismsource.org, submit an inquiry through www.autism-society.org/asa_contact or by phone at 1-800-3Autism.

In October, The Arc received an award of $1.87 million for fiscal year 2010 to establish a national resource and information center on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. To learn more, visit autismnow.org.

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Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Recommends The Arc

/in /by The Arc

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney recommended The Arc along with just 19 other national nonprofits to individual investor clients through their Holiday Gift Catalog. That means that high net worth investors (we’re talking millionaires and billionaires) received a beautifully-produced catalog this holiday season containing MSSB’s list of the top twenty organizations deserving of their support. The list is eclectic to say the least, including Doctors Without Borders, The Julliard School and the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. But, as Douglas Ketterer, MSSB’s Head of U.S. Private Wealth Management says in his introduction to the catalog, “This publication contains a wide assortment of unique gifts and exceptional funding opportunities offered by 20 highly vetted nonprofit organizations.” He goes on to state that each organization was chosen based on an application in which they were asked to illustrate how they fulfill a crucial need that would otherwise go unmet in the community.

We take inclusion in this catalog as a very high compliment – and as a supporter of The Arc, so should you. Members of the intellectual and developmental disability community are all too aware of the crucial needs The Arc meets for individuals with I/DD and their families every day. This wider recognition in MSSBs catalog and promotion to their wealthy and powerful clients can do nothing but help further our mission.

We crafted three unique “gifts” to help those investors connect with The Arc. The catalog recipients will find a special donation page through at button on our home page reflecting our listing in the catalog. All of these gifts relate to direct service programs offered by our chapters, and dollars received from these gifts will be re-granted to chapters. Happy holidays, everyone!

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Looking Back, Looking Forward: 2010 Wrap Up

/in /by Shelly DeButts

It’s been an amazing year to be a part of The Arc. The support of people like you has been crucial in furthering our mission to provide hope and opportunity for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Looking back on 2010, our 60th anniversary year, we are in awe of what you have helped us accomplish. And, looking forward to 2011, with your continued support, we are poised to accomplish even more.

The Arc works to foster respect and access for individuals with I/DD and their families, giving them the power to achieve full and satisfying lives as valued, contributing members of their communities. In 2010 alone we moved ever closer to our goals through:

  • The passage of Rosa’s Law, removing the derogatory term “mental retardation” from federal laws
  • The establishment of new protections guaranteeing people with disabilities can’t be denied health insurance or have their coverage ended
  • The creation of a new voluntary public insurance program for long-term services and supports to help people live in their own homes, not institutions
  • The development of new criminal penalities for hate crimes against people with disabilities
  • The launch of Walmart Foundation-funded School-to-Community Transition services in 50 U.S. communities

The Arc is determined to build on the progress of 2010 and foster change in 2011 through a huge initiative to provide a strong new brand identity under which all of our 730+ chapters can come together. You’ll find out more about that in your February 2011 E-newsletter just before the national launch of the new brand. In the meantime, we’ll be moving forward with Autism NOW, an information and resource center just established by a $1.87 million grant from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. And, we’ll be putting to work a large grant from NISH to foster community-based employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Thanks for being a supporter of The Arc. We rely on the generosity and loyalty of friends like you!

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Film Company Seeks Families Living With Autism

/in /by Shelly DeButts

Pie Town Productions, which has produced television shows for Discovery, TLC, and A&E, including the Emmy award-winning A Baby Story, is seeking families with multiple children diagnosed with Asperger’s and/or autism. They are planning a documentary-style series to shed light on misconceptions about the disorders.

The company would like to connect with families who have two or more children on the autism spectrum who are under 18 years of age and live at home. Focusing on a family with multiple children with ASD will allow the series to explore how it affects each individual differently. Their stated intent is to follow such a family and produce a thoughtful and respectful series leading to greater understanding and sensitivity about the disorders through the real-life perspectives of the family members featured.

You can find out more about Pie Town Productions at www.pietown.tv. They are currently producing Meat and Potatoes for the Food Network and the family documentary series Downsized for WE. If your family is interested, you can contact Lauri Lannan at 818-255-9277.

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Ann Cameron Caldwell Appointment Connects The Arc With Academia

/in /by The Arc

The Arc’s very own Research and Innovations Officer, Ann Cameron Caldwell, Ph.D., was appointed as an affiliated research assistant professor at the University of Illinois’ Department of Disability and Human Development (DHD) in the College of Applied Health Sciences.

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Ann Cameron Caldwell talks about the Autism Now center at The Arc’s 2010 Convention.

This honorary appointment at Dr. Caldwell’s alma mater will not only allow her to pursue more formalized research relating to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities but will greatly enhance The Arc’s ability to generate new knowledge via research. And as Ann Cameron’s star rises in the academic community, the light will reflect well on The Arc and it’s new Autism NOW resource center, which she heads under a large federal grant.

The Department on Disability and Human Development is part of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), hosts many federally-funded programs including the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities. Also, it offers one of the premiere doctorate programs in Disability Studies.

“This is truly an honor, and I look forward to advancing efforts to better understand the needs of and solutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families,” stated an always-humble Caldwell, who remains fully engaged in her position at The Arc. Pat yourself on the back, Ann Cameron! This is something truly special.