The Arc of Illinois - 55 years strong and growing
The history of The Arc of Illinois reflects a rich grassroots
movement that actually took to task misconceptions about the
abilities of people with intellectual and other developmental
disabilities. Our research indicates that families started meeting
as support groups in the early 1930’s, meeting in church basements
and people’s homes to provide support for families and voluntary day
activities for their children with disabilities. It was in the mid
to late 1940’s when families became more active in forming not-for-profit
organizations in Illinois and around the nation.
The oldest known member organization of The Arc of the United States was
called The Council for the Retarded Child in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which
was founded in 1933.
The Arc of Illinois was founded in 1950 by local parent groups from
throughout Illinois. It was officially incorporated as a not for profit
corporation in October, 1955 as the Illinois Council for Mentally Retarded
Children with Adele Karlson as its first Executive Director. Over the years
the name of the organization evolved to its present name: The Arc of Illinois.
In September, 1950 The Arc of the United States was founded as the National
Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Retarded Children. when families
gathered from throughout the nation in Minnesota to form a national organization. At
this convention, there were 42 delegates from 23 states which included Illinois. The
Arc of Illinois was one of the founding states of the national association.
In the 1950’s chapters of The Arc were forming throughout all of Illinois. They saw
the need and the importance to become active locally and on a statewide and national
level as a voice of support and advocacy for their children with disabilities. School
boards and educators excluded children from the public schools at that point in time.
As a result of these local Arc chapters’ activities, we saw the inception of the first
special education schools and sheltered workshops. These were a stark contrast to the
development of state institutions which housed thousands of Illinois residents with
disabilities in large congregate, often deplorable, institutional settings. The most
notorious ones at the time were the state institutions in Lincoln and Dixon, Illinois
which housed over 10,000 individuals in the 1960’s.
The vision of these families and The Arc of Illinois in these early times was that their
children had value and could learn, given supports and opportunities. These courageous
families took a strong advocacy stance - contrary to the professionals of the day.
In the early 1970’s Illinois was one of the first states in the nation to pass legislation
that gave children with disabilities the right to be provided with a free and appropriate
education. As a result, public funding was made available and the special education system
in Illinois began to develop and flourish. It was also in the 1970’s through the advocacy
of The Arc of Illinois and its membership that the first grants-in-aid were made available
to community organizations like local chapters of The Arc of Illinois.
For the first time, professional staff was hired to work with children who were aging out
of the special education schools. They bought buildings and laid the groundwork for the
community system we know today.
In the late 1970’s The Arc spearheaded the development of community living options through
local chapters of The Arc as an alternative to living in state institutions. In the late
1980’s and early 1990’s we really began to see The Arc and other advocacy organizations
putting strong emphasis on community inclusion, person-centered planning and self-determination.
The Arc of Illinois and its chapters have always been in the forefront of strong advocacy
positions for people with disabilities and their families. Much of the important legislation
nationally and in Illinois is a direct result of the advocacy of
The Arc. It is rare when any piece of public policy does not have the fingerprints of The
Arc upon it. The Arc continues to be a strong grassroots organization with a rich
membership of self-advocates, parents and professionals working together to achieve common goals.
We continue the advocacy even today and invite you to join us. If you have information
regarding the history of The Arc we would appreciate your input and comments. We’d love
to hear from you.
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