Start your year with exciting new opportunities for involvement in our work! As an officer on the National Siblings Council and the National Council of Self-Advocates for 2019-2020, you will have an invaluable seat at the table helping shape the work of the National Office throughout the year.

National Council of Self-Advocates

The NCSA was developed to foster the active involvement of individuals with I/DD in the work of The Arc. Its primary purpose is to encourage people with I/DD to provide feedback to The Arc on how its advocacy, programs, and services can better empower people with to live the life they want to live in the community. Members of the NCSA provide regular feedback on work that The Arc national office is doing and provide guidance about important issues that matter to people with disabilities in community around the nation. NCSA members also seek to promote education around advocacy issues that are critical to people in the disability movement through our annual convention session, and they seek to be active members and leaders in The Arc’s Disability Advocacy Network and the larger disability movement.

Being an NCSA Officer has several rules and responsibilities, including:

• Officers must attend the 4 Officer meetings each year. These often happen in March, May, August, and November.
• Officers must attend the 4 All-Council meetings each year. These often happen in March, June, September, and December.
• Officers must help plan The Arc’s self-advocate convention session.
• Officers must be willing to help make big decisions about what the Council should do in the future.
• Officers must help think of steps to take to achieve the goals that the NCSA wants to achieve.
• Officers must help take action to carry out these goals.
• Officers must help encourage people to join the Council and give feedback.
• Officers must share what the Council is doing with others.
• Officers must give feedback to The Arc on how to improve its work.

Apply to be an officer of NCSA.

Deadline: February 15

National Siblings Council

Are you a sibling looking to get more involved in disability rights activism but are not sure where to turn? The Arc’s National Sibling Council seeks to foster the active involvement of siblings of individuals with I/DD in The Arc movement in order to strengthen and grow The Arc’s grassroots advocacy efforts nationwide and formally connect siblings—an important and unique segment of the disability rights movement—to help promote and protect the rights of individuals with I/DD throughout the country. The Arc seeks applications from those who are eager to take a leadership role in learning more about how to engage in disability rights activism as a new mode of providing support to their siblings and the broader disability community.

Officers participate in four quarterly conference calls each year, carry out advocacy action steps assigned in each call, and encourage other siblings to join our movement.

Apply to be an officer of the Sibling Council.

Deadline: February 15

Does your chapter engage in criminal justice advocacy? Support individuals with I/DD who are justice-involved, whether as victims or suspects/defendants? We want YOU to join the National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability®’s (NCCJD®) new Chapter Community of Practice, a place for Chapters of The Arc doing criminal justice work to interact, support, and learn from one another. NCCJD will also use the Community of Practice to provide updates on events, projects, and funding opportunities. Our goal is to support and build our chapters’ capacity to engage in criminal justice advocacy and ensure justice for all. Join us today! Sign-up by emailing your name, title, and what chapter you are affiliated with to nccjdinfo@thearc.org.

One of the biggest challenges that almost all organizations face with DSPs is turnover. There are many reasons why employees leave, but ‘stress’ is one of the key factors stated. Role clarity, role overload, or role conflict are a major part of that stress. How can we ameliorate the issue? By taking a closer look at our hiring process.

Interviews carry a lot of weight for applicants and organizations. Both want to put their best foot forward. However, on the organizations end, this can result in an underrepresentation of what the job entails — especially if they are chatting with a candidate they really like. A situation can (and does) develop where a candidate accepts a job without a clear understanding of what the day-to-day work involves, leading to stress on the job.

This is how a RJP can help. Utilized as part of the hiring process, a RJP can provide clarity and help manage a candidate’s expectations of what the role entails. During the screening process, a RJP can vet potential applicants by letting those who are interested see key aspects of the job. During the interview process, the RJP can give the candidate insight into their potential role and validate for the hiring manager the ability/interest/desire/fit of the candidate for the opportunity.

A personalized RJP for use by chapters of The Arc is available as part of the DSP Toolkit. Check out a sample of the Preview tool here and reinvigorate your hiring process today!

Don’t forget to check out the other great resources in the DSP Toolkit.

Washington, DC – Last week, both chambers of Congress passed a bill focusing on criminal justice reform, which President Trump signed into law. The legislation shortens sentences and supports job training and other programs for some prisoners with disabilities.

“We are pleased that Congress has chosen to begin comprehensive reform of our criminal justice system. While this is a step in the right direction, our hope is that future legislation provides support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) involved in all phases of our criminal justice system, whether as victims, witnesses, suspects, defendants, or prisoners.

“This legislation funds training on de-escalation techniques for federal prison staff; this is particularly important for individuals with I/DD who are incarcerated. It is essential that future legislation supports training for law enforcement through all branches of government on recognizing and supporting the needs of individuals with disabilities. This training can ensure that an individual’s rights aren’t compromised and that they are provided the appropriate accommodations ensuring they are treated justly and don’t experience conditions that can be detrimental to their physical or mental health.

“The bipartisan support of this legislation is heartening, and we are grateful to Members of Congress for their work on this important issue. The Arc plans to be at the table as further criminal justice reform is discussed in the 116^th Congress to ensure the interests of people with disabilities are included in future legislation,” said Peter V. Berns, CEO of The Arc.

While people with I/DD comprise 2 to 3% of the general population, they represent 4 to 10% of the prison population. Earlier this year, The Arc’s Criminal Justice Advisory Panel was launched. The panel is the latest addition to the organization’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability’s® (NCCJD) ongoing advocacy to protect the rights of people with I/DD involved in the criminal justice system.

Established in 2013, NCCJD is the only national center of its kind serving as a bridge between the I/DD and criminal justice communities that focuses on both victim and suspect/defendant/prisoner issues. The Center provides training and technical assistance; resources for professionals, people with disabilities, and their supporters; as well as educates the public about the intersection of criminal justice reform and the advancement of disability rights. Pathways to Justice®, NCCJD’s signature training tool, is a comprehensive, community-based program facilitated through chapters of The Arc that helps criminal justice professionals understand their legal obligations toward people with disabilities. NCCJD is building the capacity of the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to gaps in existing services for people with disabilities, focusing on people with I/DD, who often remain a hidden population within the criminal justice system, with little or no access to advocacy supports or services.

Is your chapter losing members due to retirement?

Have you faced challenges in attracting younger families?

Is your chapter aware of what younger families want and need for their loved ones with Intellectual and or Developmental Disabilities?

Are you interested in establishing new chapters with young families in leadership roles?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, contact Karen at wolf-branigin@thearc.org for The Arc’s list of ideas for attracting younger families to join our fight.