The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) has released their 2017 report on the DSP workforce crisis.

The intended outcome of this Report is to ensure that the Administration is “fully aware of and understand the effects of the direct support workforce crisis and the opportunities to address it in ways that strengthen the ability of people with intellectual disability to both participate in and contribute to their communities and the American economy. Not only does the crisis facing this workforce threaten people with intellectual disability and their families; it also undermines the stability, efficiency and ability to grow much needed long-term services and supports and, therefore, undermines the overall U.S. economy.”

Our DSP Toolkit is highlighted in the report (page 34), as well as a quote from The Arc of New London County (page 31). The full report includes:

• Overview of the direct support workforce
• Critical challenges faced by the long-term services and supports industry
• Effects of the workforce crisis
• Economic and other factors that have influenced the crisis
• Promising practices to address the direct support workforce crisis

Read the full report.

Has your chapter created print or digital products utilizing The Arc’s brand that you’re proud of? We want to see them! Materials can include email headers, social media graphics, building signs, flyers, business cards, you name it! You can email any digital materials to Ashley DuPont, Senior Graphic Designer. Any print materials can be mailed to Ashley at 1825 K Street NW Suite 1200, Washington DC 20006. We can’t wait to see all your amazing work!

Members of Congress will be back home this week for the President’s Day recess – and they need to hear from you! This recess, please urge Congress to support community living funding through the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program. This vital program has provided federal funds to states to transition individuals with disabilities and the aging population out of institutional settings and back into their communities. The program expired in late 2016 and the programs are being dismantled across the country, we must act now to extend this program!

Below are tools and resources to support your advocacy:

1. Promote the Action Alert
   Share this action alert with your networks to direct calls to Members of Congress to sponsor and support the bill.
2. Share Stories about Community Living
   Stories about community living strengthen The Arc’s advocacy! Ask activists to share their stories about what community living means to them and their families. They can share their stories here.
3. Go to Town Hall Events & Ask Questions
   Getting a group of advocates together to attend a Town Hall event hosted by a Member of Congress can be a strong way to show community support for an issue. Find Town Hall events near you at townhallproject.com! Print this branded sign with The Arc logo and fill it in with your own message, or “Support Community Living.”

Please tell us about your recess advocacy by filling out this short form. Thank you for your advocacy!

It’s the final countdown – Disability Policy Seminar is this month!

Join other advocates and professionals from all over the country to get up-to-date on the latest policy issues and legislation. It is an excellent opportunity to advance our grassroots movement, meet with your Members of Congress, and educate them on the needs of people with disabilities.

2017 was a tumultuous year in Washington for disability rights. Congress repeatedly attempted to cut and cap Medicaid, and repeal the Affordable Care Act, but was met with resistance from the disability community at every turn. We won those battles together, thanks to your advocacy, energy, and persistence! But the fight isn’t over. We need you in Washington, DC to advocate for the programs that people with disabilities rely on to make a life in community possible. The Disability Policy Seminar is your chance to make an impact! Register today at disabilitypolicyseminar.org.

In January, the Connecticut Supreme Court issued an opinion reversing the lower court’s decision in CCJEF v. Rell. While this case focused on school funding, not disability, the lower court judge used this as an opportunity to attack special education, noting that children with “profound” disabilities have “minimal or no chance for education” and, therefore, schools “should not make expense, extensive, and ultimately pro-forma efforts” to provide them with a free appropriate public education. The State appealed the case and The Arc, with The Arc Connecticut, filed an amicus brief arguing that the lower court opinion violated the IDEA. Though it reversed on other grounds and did not substantively address special education in its opinion—other than noting that funding decisions relating to special education are best left to legislatures—it is a victory that the egregious language about students with disabilities in the lower court opinion no longer stands.