Category Archives: News

Read about recent news and events concerning The Arc.

Act Today to Protect Yourself from the Flu

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Guarding yourself and your loved ones during flu season has always been important, but a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has shown how important it truly is for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The study showed that children with intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and other neurologic disorders were at a great risk of complications from the influenza virus.

The study, which focused on the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak, found that a disproportionately high number of kids with neurological disorders died from the virus. The 2009 flu season was particularly severe and the number of children who passed away was five times higher than the median for the previous five flu seasons.

“We’ve known for some time that certain neurologic conditions can put children at high risk for serious complications from influenza,” said Dr. Lyn Finelli, chief of the surveillance and outbreak response team in CDC’s Influenza Division. “However, the high percentage of pediatric deaths associated with neurologic disorders that occurred during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic was a somber reminder of the harm that flu can cause to children with neurologic and neurodevelopmental disorders.”

Now is the time to protect yourself and your family. The CDC is recommending that everyone over 6 months old get an annual influenza vaccination. To learn more about the flu and where to get a flu shot visit the CDC website.

For People with I/DD, Absentee Ballots May Be the Way to Go

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We've Got the Power – Vote in 2012The 2012 national elections are fast approaching and it is vital that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those who care about them get involved in the political process to help protect their interests. Whether it is a local, state or national election, advocates for people with I/DD have a responsibility to educate candidates about the issues and vote for those candidates who support the legislation which allows people with I/DD to live and be included in their communities with the appropriate supports.

One of the easiest ways to get involved in the political process is by simply voting. For people with I/DD, this can sometimes be a challenge. Even for people without disabilities, there are many reasons why they feel like they just can’t make it to the polls on Election Day. Have you heard (or used) any of these reasons for not voting?

  • I have medical problems or conditions that make it hard to leave the house or wait in line at the polls (and the lines will be too long!)
  • I don’t drive and I don’t have anyone who can take me there and back or the bus or subway routes don’t go near my polling place
  • I have to work that day, I have an appointment that day, I have to stay home with my child/loved one that day.
  • The voting booths can be intimidating/ I’m worried I won’t know how to use the machine and the poll workers might not understand my disability and be willing to help me figure it out.
  • I’m afraid the poll workers won’t let me vote – maybe they won’t understand me if I have difficulty speaking or maybe they’ll say I’m not qualified.

Those are all common and understandable reasons that cause people to give up their constitutional right to vote. Luckily, there may be a simple answer to every single reason on this list (and just about any others you can think of). Absentee ballots! Absentee ballots can allow people to vote using a mailed ballot with which they can take  time to read and re-read and think about their choices if necessary, get assistance with filling out the forms from caregivers or family members and not have to worry about getting to the polls on election day. Each state is somewhat different in their absentee voting processes and procedures so contact your local board of elections to find out more and get your absentee ballot. Make Your Mark this Election Day!

Good News! Early Registration Deadline Extended

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National Convention and International Forum, The Arc, Inclusion International: Achieving Inclusion

Now you have more time to register and save up to $100 off the regular registration rate.

You don’t want to miss the incredible slate of informative sessions and enlightening speakers we have on tap for you in Washington, D.C. October 25-28. Plus, we’re partnering with Inclusion Internationals to bring a global perspective to the question of what it really means to live and be included in the community for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Here are just some of the highlights:

  • Kathy Davis, a board member from The Arc’s chapter Noble of Indiana who helped develop The Arc of Indiana’s “Blueprint for Change” to improve service delivery in Indiana at our leadership pre-conference.
  • Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue receiving our President’s Award for his commitment to people with disabilities.
  • Plenaries covering living and being included in the community, advocacy and policy working together for change and the key issues of choice, support and inclusion.
  • A variety of sessions on topics such as aging and disability, transitioning from school to work, assistive technology and political participation.
  • The Marketplace featuring Entrepreneur’s Alley which spotlights microbusinesses run by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Even if you can’t attend the entire conference, one-day and special event tickets are available at lower rates, so register now. Enjoy everything our nation’s capital has to offer, beautiful fall weather and the opportunity to learn and share with the global I/DD community. We’ll see you there!

Promoting Inclusion in All Situations

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By Mary Funk, Deputy Executive Director of The Arc of Prince George’s County.

Save the ChildrenWhat do chapters of The Arc do? A better question would be – what don’t they do? Supporting individuals with I/DD and their families can mean a number of things, from providing services to hosting educational program. Chapters look at the overall needs of the families they serve and are constantly working to find new ways to address needs in their communities. Realizing that many child care facilities are not required to specifically account for infants, toddlers or children with disabilities or those with access and functional needs in their disaster preparedness plans our chapter decided to take action.

Five years ago, The Arc Prince George’s County received a grant from the Maryland State Department of Education to create an inclusive childcare center. We forged a partnership with the local YMCA that was already providing childcare for typical infants andchildren 6 weeks – five years.  The Y offers the facility and childcare license, and our chapter provides the nurse and years of experience working with children with disabilities.

The collaboration has enabled children with developmental delays, physical disabilities, and medical diagnoses to play and learn alongside their typical peers, regardless of the nursing needs that may be required. Children are not separated because of their disabilities by walls or classrooms in any way. They receive on-site physical, occupational, and speech/language therapies and any needed specialized care. Children without disabilities play alongside children with disabilities, never concerned with any “differences”. They do not see a child with a disability….they see only a friend.

We are so pleased to share that Save the Children’s fifth annual “National Report Card on Protecting Children During Disasters” highlights the success of one of our employees, Judy Tribby, who works at the YMCA inclusive child care center, in Bowie, MD.  Judy has been instrumental in ensuring that emergency plans in place at the center take into account every need of the children with disabilities.  Her work paid off in August 2011, during the East Coast earthquake.

To learn more about Judy’s work and to read the full report, visit www.savethechildren.org/disaster-report.

Are You Coming to the National Convention & International Forum?

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National Convention and International Forum, The Arc, Inclusion International: Achieving Inclusion

Have you made your plans yet to join The Arc and Inclusion International for the National Convention & International Forum October 25-28 in Washington, D.C? If not, make sure you sign up before early registration discounts end on September 3. You could save $50 to $100 if you register now!

Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue will be on hand to receive this year’s President’s Award. Commissioner Astrue is being honored for a steadfast commitment to people with disabilities, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, during his tenure at the Social Security Administration.  He helped reduce the average length of time applicants wait to receive Social Security disability benefits and helped develop and expand initiatives such as Compassionate Allowances and Quick Disability Determinations that seek to provide benefits quickly to applicants with the most severe disabilities.

Also we’re expecting notable advocates such as Eric Rosenthal of Disability Rights International and 100 speakers covering topics as diverse as aging and disability, transitioning from school to work, assistive technology and political participation. If you can’t attend the full four-day event, one-day registrations and special event tickets are available including or Wednesday pre-conferences on leadership and self-advocacy.

Check out the full program and register now. Hurry! Early registration discounts end September 3. We’ll see you there!

Celebrating Our Social Security System

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“It is, in short, a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness,” President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated, on signing the Social Security Act.

Today marks the 77th anniversary of the Social Security Act, a law that makes a world of difference to millions of individuals with disabilities each day. While many see Social Security in dollars and cents we at The Arc know better. We know that Social Security provides a safety net for individuals with I/DD and their families. Today, our Social Security system includes retirement, disability, and survivors’ benefits. It’s more than just numbers, it’s people’s lives. But if you want to see the numbers that matter, here is a breakdown of what Social Security is doing for individuals with disabilities:

Over 11 million people with disabilities, their spouses, and children receive Social Security benefits. This includes:

  • Nearly 8 million disabled workers (this is the term used in the Social Security Act). To qualify they must have a severe disability that is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death.
  • Nearly 1.8 million children of disabled workers.
  • Over 930,000 disabled adult children. These individuals have a severe disability that began before age 22. They qualify when a parent becomes disabled, retires, or dies, and receive benefits from different parts of Social Security depending on their parent’s status. Many people with I/DD receive benefits under this category.
  • Nearly 240,000 disabled widow(er)s.

Social Security benefits are modest, averaging about $1,100 to $1,200 per month, but these benefits go a long way in reducing poverty among beneficiaries with disabilities and their families. More than half of disability insurance beneficiaries rely on Social Security for at least 75 percent of their income. The vast majority of them receive 90 percent or more of their income from these benefits. For families with a disabled worker, Social Security insurance provides about half of their income.

It’s also important to keep in mind that beneficiaries with disabilities are part of the larger Social Security system. Changes to the Social Security system will affect people with disabilities as much as anyone else.

The Arc strongly supports protecting and expanding the effectiveness of our Social Security system. Please join us in making sure this vital protection is there for people with I/DD and their families! For more information about Social Security, or to apply for benefits, visit http://www.ssa.gov.

Get More Out of the National Convention & International Forum

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The Arc’s National Convention & International Forum October 25-28 will be filled with enlightening and informative sessions on such topics as what it means to live in the community, be a leader in the movement for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and creating change through advocacy. And, we’ll hear from heavy-weight speakers such as advocate Judy Heumann and Eric Rosenthal of Disability Rights International.

But it’s not all work and no play. If you’re joining us in Washington D.C. this year, come prepared for a weekend filled with fun in addition to the vital information you’ll gain during sessions and the valuable connections you’ll make with others in the intellectual and developmental disabilities community.

Don’t Miss

Red Hot on the Red Carpet! – This opening night event pairs the glamour of Hollywood with inspiring and thought provoking short films made for and about people with I/DD which will be screened during The Arc & Sprout National Film Festival. Plan to get dressed up and stroll the “red carpet” but be prepared for the paparazzi and autograph seekers! The red carpet festivities are open to all, but the film festival is a ticketed event. During the film festival, we’ll be giving away free DVD copies of “One Question” – a short film by Sprout which asks one important question to a group of individuals with disabilities. You’ll be inspired by their answers!

Meet New Friends from Across the Globe – Inclusion International, a global federation of organizations advocating for people with I/DD is co-hosting this year’s event and we’re expecting many of their members from countries as diverse as Panama, Lebanon, Uganda and New Zealand. Make new friends and get an international perspective on the issues.

The Arc’s Annual Research Luncheon – Celebrate the international flavor imported by our event partners, Inclusion International, at a tartan-themed luncheon recognizing accomplishments in the research field.

The Market and Entrepreneur Alley – visit The Marketplace exhibit hall to discover unique micro businesses run by self-advocate entrepreneurs and purchase hand crafted art and other items created by people with I/DD.

The Marketplace Bookstore – browse through titles published by AAIDD and other sources on topics of interest to people with I/DD, their families and professionals in the field.

Rock the Night Hand Dancing Celebration – close out this year’s event with an evening of hand dancing, also known as “D.C. Swing.” Everyone can enjoy this traditional form of swing dancing that can be traced back to the 1920s.

Register Now and Save – Early Registration and Room Rates Available Until September 3!

The Market Allows Self Advocates to Achieve With The Arc Long Distance: An Insider’s Preview

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It was an exciting time at The Arc’s National Office last week when I let out a cheer and announced that we had the first six vendors for The Market at The Arc’s 2012 National Convention and International Forum in Washington, DC.  This meant that The Arc’s newest project in honor of self-advocate entrepreneurs will become a reality in this year’s Marketplace on October 26th and 27th this year!  I feel that The Market will be the crowning achievement, which makes the 2012 National Convention EXTRA special.

There is plenty new and different that will already make this year’s Convention unique and one of a kind.  We are co-hosting this event with Inclusion International, and up to 150 international visitors from countries around the world will be in our nation’s capital attending the conference.  This will be an opportunity for attendees from the United States to mingle with professionals, family members and self-advocates from Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand. We will have the chance to learn about the issues surrounding the inclusion of self-advocates in other nations, and explore our own issues and accomplishments surrounding inclusion through a fresh set of eyes.

We were determined to make Entrepreneur Alley bigger and better than EVER this year in honor of this year’s theme of inclusion. There was only one problem: we were getting feedback from self-advocates that travel to Washington, DC and lodging were often hurdles too expensive for our self-advocate microbusiness owners to climb. This is why I LOVE working at The Arc: instead of giving up on this dream, we took this issue as a challenge. And from this challenge, The Market was born!

I have been working the phones for weeks straight pitching our new opportunity to self-advocate run businesses across the country.  Sign up to be a part of The Market, and The Arc’s team of dedicated staff and volunteers, spearheaded by yours truly, will sell your merchandise for you right in the heart of Entrepreneur Alley!  The area will be set up as a bazaar with a biography and photo of each self-advocate owner, so that their stories can be told.  Or, if you prefer, you can send us your marketing brochures, pens, flyers, key chains, or other materials to display and all of our national and international attendees will be able to learn more about you and your business.  We waited in anticipation to see if the idea would break through and attract attention, it is always a nail biter to see if a new concept will gain traction, and we are now exited to announce our first 6 vendors at The Market!

  • Aid for Abby features the artwork of a young self-advocate on the autism spectrum named Abby.  She loves to share her paintings with the world, and she and her mother Bonnie also sell special handmade dog treats.
  •  JennyLU Designs will be selling charm earrings and necklaces created by a special and talented artist named Jenny, who has Williams syndrome.
  • Just for You CardArt features the handmade greeting cards of best friends and self-advocates Donna and Jenna. Their cards sold wonderfully at The National Down Syndrome Congress in Washington, DC this month, and they cannot wait to share them with us!
  • Through the Same Door is led by self-advocate activist Micah Fialka-Feldman, who loves to tell the inspirational story of his life on the front lines in the fight for inclusion in higher education.  He also sells DVDs which tell this story.
  • COMAAT stands for Changing One Mind at a Time, and is run by Jennifer Walsh, a self-advocate with a Master’s degree who speaks at conferences and gives seminars on inclusion.
  • Casey’s Cookies is a tiny non-profit, which sells homemade cookies, which are baked, packaged and sold by self-advocates in the state of Florida.

I want to thank these self-advocate business people for answering our call to join us at The Market this year and hope that this will be the first of many such events to come! If you are a self-advocate entrepreneur, who would like to sell your wares but is unable to afford travel, it is not too late to join The Market! Please call me at (202) 534-3720 or email me at katz@thearc.org for more details, and I would be happy to sign you up. If you are a supporter of The Arc, who will be attending Convention this year, please be sure to stop by The Market this year to support these wonderful microbusinesses from across the country!

Our Friend Mikayla – Our Journey to Bring this Book to Schools across Pennsylvania

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By Kim Resh, mother to Mikayla Resh

Our Friend Mikayla

It is a certainly a most amazing accomplishment that Our Friend Mikayla, the book inspired by my daughter and written and illustrated by her third grade classmates, is now in every public elementary school in Pennsylvania. Still, I’m really not entirely surprised. I believe in kids. I always have. And if at any time I had doubts, kids have always renewed my faith.

No matter how certain we were of our decision to include Mikayla in a regular education classroom, we were afraid of how the other kids would react and respond to her. But our fears were unfounded. From the very first day, the children wanted to push her in her wheelchair, sit next to her at lunch, even turn off her feeding pump when it alarmed. So when they grew old enough to write their story, I knew theirs was a message worth sharing.

I’ve always said that even if the book was never published, the time we all spent working together was an incredible experience. Our honest discussions were priceless and are clearly portrayed through the kids’ writing. When I edited their words into one story, I was surprised at how easily the book wrote itself. And to be honest, almost everything else has fallen into place with equal ease.

I wrote one grant for publishing. That was approved, and another organization asked to help. Individuals and families privately donated copies of Our Friend Mikayla to their own school libraries. It was obviously more difficult to find donors for a statewide distribution program so I am grateful to Walmart and Air Products for their grants, which respectively afforded the printing and mailing of books across the state.

Still, am I surprised every public elementary school finally has a copy? No, humbled and most appreciative, but not surprised. It is all about the kids. They are smart. They understand more than adults at times. Young children are innocent and pure, capable of unconditional friendship and compassion. If learned young, these lessons last forever. By including our students with and without disabilities in the same classrooms, they will teach other life’s most important lessons. Our Friend Mikayla is not just a book, it is a wonderful example of what is possible in every school across the state, country, and beyond.

Charging through Belle Isle Raceway with The Arc!

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By Laurie Istook, wife of driver Don Istook

The Arc Audi Racing Program

As Don and I tour the country for the Pirelli World Challenge, we have had the opportunity to meet many amazing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) through The Arc Audi Racing Program. Most recently we were in Detroit at the Belle Isle Raceway. We were joined by staffers and self-advocates from The Arc of Western Wayne County.

The time leading up to the race and prepping with our new friends from The Arc was wonderful. From teaching them about the car, to having them help Don and his team get ready for the race it was an exciting time for all of us. The real highlight came after the race when Don won the “Hard Charger” award for the race. He won because he moved ahead of more cars during the race than any other driver.

While accepting his award on the winner’s podium, Don dedicated it to my brother Mark and our visitors from The Arc.  He let everyone know that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can be “hard chargers” too if they are just given the chance.

We look forward to more races, victories, and of course to continuing our work with The Arc and their local chapters.