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Tuning In

These days, there’s a lot of talking going on. In the disability world, if you turn the radio dial, you can switch the stations from diagnosis, early intervention, and how to manage the new identity of being a family connected to a child with an intellectual and developmental disability. A few clicks up and the voices are talking about friends, inclusion, transition, and a few words on jobs and post-secondary education. Self-advocacy is heard, in some coverage areas. Turn the dial even further and words about community living, placements, institutions, sheltered workshops, supported jobs and community-based employment fade in and out. Futures planning, special needs trusts, and what to do now that Mom and Dad are old themselves. Siblings. Family support. And through it all, you hear: where are the resources to help us…

In the middle of the audible voices is a lot of static. White noise relating, perhaps, to the day-to-day survival, the daze of home to school to work to home to family in any given day; the disconnect between that and the sharp always unanticipated disruption of when the supports fall away. In some places, there is no noise at all.

The Arc Is Listening

I wonder who is listening. I wonder what families are going to do.

The answer comes to me: The Arc is listening. The Arc helps families help themselves, as we’ve been doing for more than 61 years. From the listening sessions at our National Convention where people were given open access to a microphone in front of the Board, to hear what they wanted to say…. To our Autism NOW Center that reflects an array of information resources for people with autism and other developmental disabilities and their families… to the opportunities we give to the nation to get families involved in advocacy, in membership, participation or leadership at local, state and national levels, in working with us to advance better options for people with IDD and their families. Our 50 Chapters that are involved in designing customized School to Transition Programs to help young adults adapt to life after high school. Through all of these, there is a listening process occurring, and we are collectively learning from all of you. Only if we listen, can we learn and grow. Only if others express their thoughts, their preferences, will there be something to learn from and something to share.

Get Involved

The Arc has always been about supporting families, and supporting those they are connected to: people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If you are a family member and haven’t gotten involved in The Arc, think about it. If you’ve thought about creating a new Chapter, go for it. Yes, YOU. If you’ve thought about honoring us with your time, we’d love to have you with us. Now, more than ever, tuning in and getting involved in the dialogue is so important; our country is going through monumental changes that have every possibility of affecting the daily options that we have to choose from.

We’re here. We’re listening. Tune in, wherever you are, any place on the dial.