Washington, DC – The Arc of the United States, the oldest and largest nonprofit serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), today named Katherine (Katy) Neas as its new CEO. Katy brings more than 35 years of experience in disability policy and public and nonprofit leadership to the role. Her tenure with The Arc of the US will begin in January 2024.

Katy is a visionary leader who has devoted her career to disability rights, and she has deep connections in the field. She joins The Arc from the U.S. Department of Education, where she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Prior to that role, she was Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and for Easterseals. She is widely regarded for her bipartisan and collaborative work, earning her roles including Past Chair of the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD). Earlier in her career, Katy served as Legislative Assistant to Senator Tom Harkin and the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy, where she worked on landmark legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Katy holds a B.A. from Georgetown University.

“We are very excited to welcome Katy Neas as the next CEO of The Arc,” said Laura Kennedy, Board President for The Arc of the US. “Her more than 35 years of working as a highly respected advocate for people with disabilities will continue to move The Arc forward with its important work. She is well known as an ally and thought leader by government officials and legislators, nonprofit providers, self-advocates, parents, and executive staff across the country. She is the right person for our organization as we continue to work hard to help every person with IDD be heard and have the opportunities to thrive.”

“Stepping into this role as CEO of The Arc feels like coming home,” said Katy Neas. “Throughout my career, I’ve been lucky to work arm-in-arm with fierce advocates and caring providers to drive progress. That open collaboration and trust is what makes The Arc so special – never losing sight that we do this WITH people with disabilities, not just FOR them. I’m in awe of The Arc’s profound legacy, from pioneering special education access to spearheading community living. Now, I’m honored to continue that legacy into the future, but we won’t rest on past wins. Together with families, self-advocates, and partners, we’ll build an even stronger organization to meet the challenges ahead. I can’t wait to listen and learn from every corner of this community and lead inclusively into the next era of success. The Arc’s brightest days lie ahead.”

“The Arc’s Board of Directors made a very wise choice in selecting Katy,” said Paul Marchand, a longtime and influential disability policy champion who served The Arc for 38 years. “I’ve worked closely with her for more than 30 years, and her disability policy knowledge is outstanding. She is a leader in all respects – smart, loyal, a good listener, and a coalition builder. Katy has held high level positions in nonprofits, in a huge federal agency, and she cut her teeth on Capitol Hill. She’s done it all, and The Arc couldn’t have found anyone better to lead into the future.”

As CEO of The Arc of the United States, Katy will be responsible for leading the nearly 75-year-old organization and its Washington, DC-based national office for 578 chapters across the United States. She steps into the role at a pivotal moment for disability rights, as issues like the caregiving crises, ongoing exclusion from schools and workplaces, and threat of losing hard-won civil rights have made The Arc’s mission more crucial than ever. Katy will build upon The Arc’s legacy and thought leadership among disability and civil rights groups while advancing its mission to ensure people with IDD can lead full, meaningful, and self-directed lives.

Katy was selected following an extensive national search led by Heidrick & Struggles and a Search Committee comprised of staff and Board members from The Arc, chapter executives, community partners, and a self-advocate. Heidrick & Struggles conducted town halls, surveys, and one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders, including The Arc’s National Council of Self-Advocates and chapter executives.

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About The Arc of the United States: 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. Founded in 1950 by parents who believed their children with IDD deserved more, The Arc is now 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. Through the decades, The Arc has been at the forefront of advances in disability rights and supports. There are over 7 million people with IDD in the United States, which encompasses over 100 different diagnoses, and over 80 million family members who love and care for them. Visit thearc.org or follow us @TheArcUS to learn more. 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.

If testers are stripped of standing, the result will be less private enforcement of the ADA, a less accessible society, and the continued exclusion of people with disabilities from community life.

Washington, DC – Eighteen leading disability advocacy organizations have filed a “friend-of-the-court” brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Acheson Hotels v. Laufer, a case that will decide whether testers—disabled people who investigate compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—have the ability to sue businesses for discrimination when their rights under that law are violated. The case is scheduled to be heard on October 4, 2023.

Civil rights testing—intentionally investigating and challenging discrimination—has been used as an effective tool of enforcement since the 1950s, helping ensure that public accommodations were integrated and housing discrimination, challenged. Congress included the same enforcement tools when it passed the ADA in 1990 that it had included in these earlier civil rights laws, and testing has proven to be an essential enforcement tool in this context as well.

Deborah Laufer is one such tester. She is a person with disabilities who has filed numerous cases against hotels for violating an ADA regulation that requires hotels to include certain information about accessibility features in their online reservation systems. Ms. Laufer is a “tester” in her cases because she voluntarily puts herself in a situation to experience discrimination—specifically, she visits hotel websites to investigate compliance with the reservation rule—and when denied the information to which the ADA regulations entitle her, she challenges that discrimination in court and seeks to make the hotels comply with the law.

Despite acknowledging that they were, in fact, violating the ADA, hotelier Acheson doesn’t think that tester standing is fair, and argues that people like Ms. Laufer should have an immediate plan to stay at a hotel before they can challenge the hotel’s discrimination. Acheson asks the Supreme Court to reverse a First Circuit opinion upholding discrimination claims brought against them by Ms. Laufer as a tester.

The brief of amici opposes Acheson’s request and defends testing as essential to the enforcement of the ADA, arguing that eliminating tester standing would frustrate the ADA’s goal of equality of opportunity. Amici discuss how the indignity of unequal treatment has long been recognized as the sort of harm that can be remedied in court and explains how an individual’s motive, or status as a tester, does not change that. Amici also dispel a number of false claims made by Acheson and its supporters about ADA litigation.

“People with disabilities face rampant inaccessibility and discrimination that impacts every aspect of their lives—from travel to employment to health care and everything in between,” said Shira Wakschlag, Senior Director of Legal Advocacy & General Counsel at The Arc of the United States. “Despite the ADA’s promise to create equal access, insufficient oversight and enforcement means that businesses frequently ignore the civil rights of disabled people, making their daily lives extremely difficult and undermining the rights guaranteed by the law. ADA testers are essential to ensuring the rights of people with disabilities are enforced and protected and that the full promise of the ADA is realized.”

“If individuals with the fortitude to take on the burden of ADA litigation as testers are stripped of standing, the result will inevitably be less enforcement of the ADA, frustration of its goals, and the continued exclusion of people with disabilities from community life,” said Michelle Uzeta, Deputy Legal Director at the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund.

“Given that the ADA was signed into law more than 30 years ago and thousands of businesses remain inaccessible to people with disabilities, it is critically important the Supreme Court affirms the ability of testers to investigate compliance,” said Marlene Sallo, Executive Director of the National Disability Rights Network. “Testers ensure that travelers with disabilities do not discover their hotel is inaccessible when they show up at the door.”

“By the time a disabled person attempts to patronize a noncompliant public accommodation, it’s too late for a lawsuit to be much use,” added Amy Robertson, Counsel for Amici at Fox and Robertson, PC. “Systemic investigation by those protected by the ADA can accelerate society’s progress toward a time when they and others can go about their daily lives expecting—and attaining—access to a wide range of facilities and services.”

Amici are represented by attorneys Karla Gilbride, Amy Robertson of Fox & Robertson, PC, Justin Ormand of Allen and Overy LLP, Thomas Zito of Disability Rights Advocates, and Michelle Uzeta of Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund.

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About The Arc of the United States: 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. Founded in 1950 by parents who believed their children with IDD deserved more, The Arc is now 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. Through the decades, The Arc has been at the forefront of advances in disability rights and supports. Visit thearc.org or follow us @TheArcUS to learn more. 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.

About Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund: The Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) is a national, nonprofit law and policy center led by people with disabilities and dedicated to advancing and protecting the civil and human rights of disabled people. Founded in 1979 by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities, DREDF remains board- and staff-led by members of the communities for whom it advocates.

About National Disability Rights Network: The National Disability Rights Network works in Washington, DC on behalf of the Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&As) and Client Assistance Programs (CAPs), the nation’s largest providers of legal advocacy services for people with disabilities.

Media Contacts:
Jackie Dilworth, The Arc, dilworth@thearc.org
Tina Pinedo, DREDF, tpinedo@dredf.org
David Card, National Disability Rights Network, press@ndrn.org

Washington, DC, May 19, 2023 – From low expectations and a dire shortage of special educators to isolation and informal suspensions, a quality education is not easy to obtain for U.S. students with disabilities. Caregivers of children with disabilities must become experts at advocating for their children in order to get the support they need. Today, Lids Foundation announced that is providing a $50,000 grant to The Arc to give Indiana and Maryland families free access to The Arc@School, an evidence-based special education advocacy curriculum. This grant has the potential to help over 285,000 children with disabilities living in those states succeed and build bright futures.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was enacted nearly 50 years ago with the goal of providing equal opportunities for students with disabilities. Yet this foundation for the special education system has long failed these students, many of whom don’t receive the education and support they need to thrive. There is also little to no guidance or support for families navigating these complex systems. Lack of access to a quality education continues to cause not only significant gaps in academic achievement for students with disabilities, but also life skills and socio-emotional development – particularly for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Arc@School was created in 2016 in response to decades of troubling testimonies from self-advocates. The Arc@School is a self-paced online training program that helps caregivers of children with disabilities navigate the special education system from birth through age 21. The Special Education Advocacy Curriculum teaches families their rights under the law, how to ensure the school writes and implements an effective individualized plan (IEP), and how to work with their school to get their accessibility and support needs met. The program has eight modules that total nearly 10 hours of training. The partnership with The Arc and Lids Foundation will be a catalyst for building nationwide power and skills among families so their children with disabilities are valued members of the school population, particularly marginalized communities whose voices are often ignored.

“We are thrilled to partner with Lids Foundation and The Arc of the United States to provide free access to The Arc@School’s Special Education Advocacy Curriculum,” said Ande Kolp, Executive Director of The Arc of Maryland. “This partnership will offer strong support to Maryland families interacting with these confusing and broken systems that continue to cause extraordinary disparities among students with disabilities and their peers.”

“The Lids Foundation is excited to partner with The Arc and their mission to protect the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Sarah Lim, Executive Director of Lids Foundation. “As a Foundation, we seek to remove barriers that prevent people from being able to live their lives to the fullest potential and cannot wait to join in on and be a part of the solution for so many families through The Arc chapters in Indiana and Maryland.”

“The number of calls we are getting from families about special education issues is exploding,” said Karly Sciortino-Poulter, Director of The Arc Advocacy Network at The Arc of Indiana. “Some of the ways that schools are treating students with disabilities would blow your mind. Thanks to this partnership with Lids Foundation, we can educate Indiana families on their rights and help ensure their children get an appropriate education.”

Lids Foundation has its roots in Indiana and Maryland, which is why this one-year, $50,000 grant is opening doors to families in those states. In Maryland, there are 109,443 students utilizing special education resources, which is 12.4% of the total Pre-K through 12th grade population. In Indiana, there are 175,866 students utilizing special education resources, which is 16.96% of the Pre-K through 12th grade population.

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About The Arc of the United States: 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. Visit www.thearc.org or follow us @TheArcUS to learn more. 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.

About Lids & Lids Foundation: Lids Sports Group is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the North America, Europe and Australia through over 1,500 retail locations. The Lids Foundation provides support directly to local communities and to the charitable organizations that serve them to enable community members of all ages to live more active, healthy, and productive lives. Visit www.lids.com or www.lidsfoundation.org to learn more.

Media Contact: Jackie Dilworth, dilworth@thearc.org

Organizations Seek Emergency Relief to Ensure the Rights of Georgia Voters With Disabilities Are Protected in Time for the 2024 Elections

Washington, DC – Voting and civil rights groups filed an emergency preliminary injunction motion seeking to lift restrictions in Georgia’s anti-voter law, S.B. 202, that target voters with disabilities. These S.B 202 provisions violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act by unjustly burdening—and in some cases completely disenfranchising—Georgians with disabilities and denying them a full and equal opportunity to access and participate in the state’s elections. If granted, the preliminary injunction would help voters with disabilities have equal access to absentee voting in Georgia in the upcoming 2024 elections and allow counties to again provide drop boxes in locations that are accessible.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, the Legal Defense and Fund (LDF), Southern Poverty Law Center, The Arc of the United States, WilmerHale, and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP represent Georgians with disabilities seeking full political participation and equal access to voting in the state.

The preliminary injunction filed in the federal district court for the Northern district of Georgia in Atlanta asks the court to block two provisions of S.B. 202:

1. A provision that makes it a felony for friends, neighbors, and even some institutional staff (among others) to help a person with a disability return their absentee ballot.
2. A provision that requires counties to move ballot drop boxes from easily accessible outdoor locations to indoor locations that are more difficult for many people with disabilities to reach and limits the hours they can be used.

Zan Thornton, co-chair of Georgia ADAPT: “It’s essential that we stop S.B. 202 from infringing on our rights. We need this injunction to preserve our right to vote as disabled citizens of Georgia. In 2022, ADAPT got an avalanche of requests for rides from disabled people across Georgia who couldn’t cast their absentee ballots easily and needed to travel to the polls instead. That dramatic rise in barriers facing disabled voters of Georgia underscores the need for an injunction before 2024.”

Shannon Mattox, state director for The Arc Georgia: “S.B. 202 erects barriers that make it harder for Georgians with disabilities, especially people of African descent, to vote, which is a violation of their civil rights. People with disabilities in Georgia are entitled to equal access in voting and have the right to vote on issues that matter to them. We’ll continue to do everything in our power to ensure the rights of Georgians with disabilities are protected and enforced.”

Devon Orland, litigation director for the Georgia Advocacy Office: “Voting is a fundamental right. These laws were changed without thought for people who experience disabilities and the challenges they face accessing transportation, technology and care. Choosing to make access to a fundamental right harder is not only illegal, it is the antithesis of the foundational pillars of democracy.”

Brian Dimmick, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Disability Rights Program: “There are hundreds of thousands of voters with disabilities in Georgia, and many of them face challenges in voting in person and so rely on absentee voting. Instead of making absentee voting easier and more accessible, SB 202 puts new barriers in the way of voters with disabilities trying to exercise their fundamental right. We need the court to protect voters with disabilities by restoring the more accessible voting rules that were in place before SB 202.”

Caitlin May, voting rights staff attorney with the ACLU of GA: “With the passage of SB 202, Georgia has added barriers to voting for people with disabilities rather than making it easier for them to cast their ballots. It is unconscionable that SB 202 drastically reduces options Georgians with disabilities rely on to make their voices heard in elections. Today we’re filing to block some of the policies making the vote inaccessible to many Georgia voters, and hope that we can move towards expanding that access in the future.”

Poy Winichakul, senior staff attorney for voting rights with Southern Poverty Law Center: “S.B. 202 has created barrier after barrier for Georgia voters, restricting nearly every method of voting available to them. These cruel barriers to voting, enacted by the state’s supermajority legislature, especially target people of color and people with disabilities and violate their fundamental rights. We will continue to challenge this anti-voter law until all Georgians have full and equitable access to voting.”

John Cusick, Assistant Counsel, LDF: “S.B. 202 criminalizes aspects of the voting process and otherwise ensures that it’s difficult, if not impossible, for voters with disabilities, who include Black people, from accessing the ballot box. We are grateful that hard-won statutes enforcing civil rights like the Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act exist.”

By mandating that counties place drop boxes inside buildings and close them after business hours, Georgia makes voting an onerous ordeal for some voters with disabilities and completely impossible for others. A preliminary injunction is necessary to ensure voters with disabilities are not denied equal access to absentee voting in Georgia in the upcoming 2024 elections. Here, the Court should require Georgia to stop enforcing the confusing, chilling felony provisions and allow counties to provide accessible drop boxes.

The motion was filed as part of ongoing litigation in AME Church v. Kemp, which challenges S.B. 202 for illegally creating barriers to voting that diminish the voices of communities of color, women, and people with disabilities. Plaintiffs are the Sixth District of the American Methodist Episcopal Church, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Georgia ADAPT, and the Georgia Advocacy Office, represented by the ACLU of Georgia, ACLU, LDF, and Wilmer Hale, as well as the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, Women Watch Afrika, Latino Community Fund of Georgia, and The Arc Georgia, represented by SPLC, The Arc of the United States, and DWT.

CONTACTS:
Jackie Dilworth, The Arc, 240-593-5529, dilworth@thearc.org
Rotimi Adeoye, ACLU, 267-221-0828, radeoye@aclu.org
Evan Nowell, SPLC, 470-656-9395, evan.nowell@splcenter.org
Ella Wiley, LDF, 925-819-0555, ewiley@naacpldf.org