Your Resource for Disability Stories
The Arc is the world’s largest community-based organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. We are your source for background information, on-the-record perspective on national topics and trends, and firsthand insight into disability rights and supports. Our staff are nationally recognized experts on:
- Medicaid & Social Security
- Civil rights
- Community living
- Criminal justice
- Victimization
- Special education
- Employment
- Assistive technology
- Family and individual supports
- Voting access
- Self-advocacy
- …and much more.
We can also connect you to diverse people with disabilities and their families who have stories to that will resonate, as well as our vast network of nearly 600 chapters in 48 states and Washington, DC.
To arrange an interview or get background information, please contact Jackie Dilworth, Director of Communications, at dilworth@thearc.org.
What’s The Arc’s Position On…?
The Arc’s position statements address critical issues related to human and civil rights, health care, and services and programs for children and adults with IDD and their families. Please browse through them if you need insights into key areas of focus for the disability community, important data, and/or a better way to frame your story.
Our History & Name
Throughout its history, The Arc’s name has gone through many changes, but one thing is certain: respecting people with disabilities is essential. That’s why The Arc should never be used as an acronym. In your stories, always refer to us as The Arc, not The ARC or ARC. The Arc should be considered as a title or a phrase.
The Arc advocates for and serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), a significant yet often overlooked population of over 7 million people with over 100 different diagnoses. IDDs are conditions that affect physical, intellectual, and/or emotional development functioning. 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.
Guides on Reporting on Disability
The issues you cover and the language and framing you use in your reporting can play a powerful role in how people with disabilities are treated in our society. Please use the below guides as a starting place to ensure accurate, ethical, and impactful reporting.
- Medicaid at Risk: What Cuts Mean for People With Disabilities—and All of Us
- A Journalist’s Guide to Disability for Elections
- 5 Disability Stories Journalists Should Be Covering:
- National Center on Disability and Journalism:
- The Journalist’s Resource:
- Disability Matters: A Toolkit for Newsrooms
On Person First vs. Identity First Language
One in four adults in the United States have a disability. It’s our nation’s largest minority group and the only one that anyone can join at any time. People with disabilities also have diverse and intersecting identities. Everyone is represented: all genders, all ages, all religions, all socioeconomic levels, and all ethnic backgrounds. That’s why the language used to describe people with disabilities is very individualistic.
Person-first language emphasizes the person, not the disability. By placing the person first, the disability is no longer the primary, defining characteristic of an individual, but one of several aspects of the whole person. Alternatively, identity-first language emphasizes a person’s disability as a core part of their identity.
When interviewing a person with a disability, you should always ask how they prefer to be identified. For most IDD communities, if your story doesn’t focus on one person, we recommend using person-first language. Within the autism community, many self-advocates prefer and appreciate the use of identity-first language (i.e., autistic person).
On the Use of “Special Needs”
“Special needs” is used with good intentions, but it’s vague, outdated, and over time it has become offensive to many. People with disabilities have human needs, not special needs. Please say “disability” in its place.
Representation in the Media
Media representation of people with disabilities lags far behind every other marginalized group. When people with disabilities are featured, they are often negatively stereotyped, featured as a burden or source of inspiration, or reduced to one aspect of their identity. The lack of representation and negative tropes are causing harm to disabled people, such as deep health disparities and exclusion from community life. The fact is that disability intersects with every issue, because people with disabilities exist in every community. Please consider looking for disability angles in the issues you cover, as well as putting forth accurate portrayals that present a respectful, positive view of people with disabilities. We can help connect you to people who can share their firsthand lived experiences.
The Arc in the News
Here’s a look at some recent stories our experts or storytellers were featured in.
- 11 Ways to Respond When Someone Insults a Loved One’s Disability (TIME Magazine)
- Why are people using the R-word again? (Mashable)
- How travel embraces neurodiversity (Travel Weekly)
- Why Medicaid cuts could be a ‘crisis’ for people with disabilities (STAT)
- Gus Walz broke the internet with his tearful love for his dad. Then the bullying began. (USA Today)
- “Caregiving is Not My Identity; It’s Just a Part of My Family’s Dynamic” (First for Women)
- Over 1 Million Parents Lose Work Hours Due To Insufficient Child Care, Report Shows (Parents Magazine)
- Fifty Years Later: The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (Comcast Newsmakers)
- 50 Over 50: Impact (Forbes)
- The Supreme Court Just Opened the Door to the Criminalization of Disability (Slate)
- How to care for people in your life with intellectual disabilities (Vox)
- The Importance of Comprehensive Sex Education: ‘Ignorance Breeds Vulnerability’ (HealthNews.com)
- I Was ‘Supermom.’ When I Suddenly Became Disabled, I Expected Empathy — Not This. (HuffPost)
- 27 Eye-Opening Quotes From People With Disabilities (Good Housekeeping)
- March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (NBC News Daily)
- Special education advocates warn of ‘chilling effects’ from anti-DEI efforts (K-12 Dive)
- It shouldn’t take a lawsuit for D.C. to do right by disabled students (Washington Post)
- What Retirement Means for Parents of Adult Children With Disabilities (AARP)
- The Supreme Court case that could gut the Americans with Disabilities Act (The 19th)
- Social Security Overpays Billions to People, Many on Disability. Then It Demands the Money Back. (KFF Health News)
- The Other Work Remote Workers Get Done (The Atlantic)
- A New Device Could Help Students with Disabilities Navigate Technology (EdTech)
- Oklahomans With Disabilities Face Long Waitlists For Home And Community-Based Services (PBS NewsHour)
- Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Nursing Home Patient Rights (Axios)
- Improving Law Enforcement Response to Persons With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities (Policing Matters Podcast)
- Democrats Seek To Expand Access To Home And Community Services For Disabled People (HuffPost)
- New Voting Laws Add Difficulties for People With Disabilities (New York Times)
- 5 Helpful Tips For Explaining Autism to Kids And Teens (INSIDER)
- Americans With Disabilities Need An Updated Long-Term Care Plan (NPR)
Press Releases
Resources
Find videos, fact sheets, publications, and more on a variety of topics.
The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
