A newsletter for chapters that connects, engages and informs.
APRIL 29, 2013
Letter from the CEO
Peter V. Berns
CEO of The Arc
Dementia and I/DD
The Arc is a supporting organization of the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices (NTG for short) of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry. We will be working with NTG to share, create and update resources that will benefit people with I/DD, our chapters and families.
NTG has a number of interesting resources available on their website that are worth checking out, including a recent report, My Thinkers Not Working: A National Strategy for Enabling Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Affected by Dementia to Remain in Their Community and Receive Quality Supports and a booklet, entitled Guidelines for Structuring Community Care and Supports for People with Intellectual Disabilities Affected by Dementia.
We are interested in identifying chapters of The Arc that have created resources on this topic, or have particular experience working with people with I/DD and dementia. Please share what you can by emailing me at berns@thearc.org.
Resources & Opportunities
Make Money for Your Chapter with Apostrophe Magazine
Take advantage of an opportunity from The Arc’s Montana chapter to help raise funds for your chapter through subscriptions to AWARE, Inc.’s Apostrophe Magazine. Apostrophe is a quarterly, glossy publication created for, about and by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And, it frequently features content about The Arc. Check it out at www.apostrophemagazine.com. Apostrophe is offering a steeply discounted bulk subscription rate exclusively to chapters of The Arc. If you sell 25 or more annual subscriptions to the magazine in your community at the full price of $19.99 each, your chapter can keep the difference between the published rate and the bulk discount rate you pay Apostrophe. Find out more about how the program works.
Find Out How to Support Healthy Relationships
Join The Arc’s upcoming Peer Learning Community on Supporting Healthy Relationships of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Learn how to empower the individuals you serve to make healthy relationship decisions on dating and beyond. Topics will include, dating tips, developing effective communication skills, red flags, and signals of unhealthy relationships, as well as ways that your chapter can provide information and support. This Peer Learning Community on Healthy Relationships will kick off Wednesday, June, 19 and running through July 24. Register now before May 10 for early bird discounts which will allow up to three participants from your chapter to join in for only $179. After May 10, the rate will be $199. Register now!
Who Are the Best Researchers in Our Movement?
The Arc is currently soliciting nominations for two awards that will be presented during our National Convention’s Research Luncheon. The Distinguished Researcher Award is given each year to a career academic researcher whose work has contributed significantly to the study of intellectual and developmental disabilities. The 2012 award went to Rud Turnbull, Marianna and Ross Beach Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas. The Participatory Action Research Award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of researchers who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, and demonstrates the power of research coupled with self-advocacy. In 2012, the award was given to Jack Brandt, Disability Policy Specialist at Virginia Commonwealth University. The deadline for nominations is June 15, 2013. Please submit the name and title of the nominee and describe in a few sentences why this person deserves recognition for his or her achievements. Please send all nominations to research@thearc.org.
Who Are The Arc’s Top Chapter Leaders?
The National Conference of Executives of The Arc (NCE) is seeking your nominations for the annual awards given at The Arc’s National Convention recognizing valuable contributors and rising stars in our ranks. Your position in The Arc family gives you the opportunity to see those who should be recognized in action. The award categories are wide and inclusive. Do you know a Rising Star – someone who is a new leader and demonstrates a strong commitment to the core values of The Arc? An Outstanding Professional – a current NCE member who is not yet in an executive position who supports and guides us through their work? A person with lifelong achievements not yet recognized? Or an Executive Director who exemplifies The Arc in every way? Nominate your colleagues between now and June 12, 2013.
News & Action Items
Registration Now Open for The Arc’s National Convention
Make your plans now to join old friends and make new ones at The Arc’s annual gathering of more than 700 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families, professionals, experts in the field and special guests. This year we’re headed to the East Side of Seattle August 3-5 and you’re invited! Registration is now open, so take advantage of early bird discounts. Taking a cue from our tech-savvy host city, this year’s event is all about innovation! You’ll be treated to technology demonstrations from some of the top names in the communications and technology fields who are constantly coming up with new ways to help people live better, more connected lives. Plus, we have sessions planned on supporting self-advocacy, innovations in family support, bullying, building our grassroots network, and cultural diversity among others. Get more details at www.thearc.org/convention and register today. And help us spread the word – you can promote the National Convention in your community using this easy toolkit.
Following Up on the Disability Policy Seminar
To those who attended the 2013 Disability Policy Seminar, thank you for making it a big success! Please take a moment to complete your online Capitol Hill contact reports. Meeting with your Members of Congress is the primary purpose of the Seminar. The online system organizes the information from each meeting so that the sponsoring organizations know what was discussed and can follow up with the Members’ offices as necessary. And please complete your online Seminar evaluation form to let us know what you think of the program and the accommodations. We have also posted the presentations from those speakers that authorized us to share their work online. See you next year – April 6-9, 2014 – in Washington, DC!
Show Your Support for the CRPD
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was signed by the US in 2009. The treaty was inspired by our own Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ratification of the treaty will maintain our leadership role throughout the world in disability rights and in eliminating disability discrimination. With our leadership, more countries will implement the treaty which will give US citizens with disabilities the opportunity to travel, work, and go to school abroad. The treaty also benefits American businesses that manufacture technologies and devices to benefit people with disabilities by expanding markets abroad. On December 4, 2012, the Senate fell just 5 votes short of ratifying the CRPD. The CRPD is supported by hundreds of disability organizations, faith organizations, veterans, the US Chamber of Commerce, the US Business Leadership Network, and the Information Technology Industry Council. We urge the Senate to support ratification of the CRPD in this Congress. Add your organization to show your support for the CRPD.
The Arc Is Looking for Self Advocate Entrepreneurs
Is there an ambitious entrepreneur with I/DD associated with your chapter? Be sure to tell them about an opportunity for businesspeople with I/DD to purchase an exhibit at The Arc’s National Convention this August and sell their products or services to more than 700 attendees. We’re offering a special rate for individuals to be part of Entrepreneur Alley in The Marketplace. Although the rate is very affordable, transportation to and accommodations to the Seattle area. can be prohibitive. If your chapter can afford to subsidize exhibiting for an entrepreneur, The Arc will recognize your contribution in the official event program book. Contact Sarah Kennedy at skennedy@thearc.org for more information.
Research Group Seeks Respondents for Family Needs Assessment
An international team of researchers is working to identify and prioritize the unique needs of families with children who have an intellectual or developmental disabilities for a report that will help organizations such as The Arc, early intervention programs, family-related and human service organizations better understand what needs are the most critical to families and seek funding to provide for those needs. If someone in your network is the parent of a child with I/DD from birth to age 21 they can take an online survey, called the Family Needs Assessment (FNA) to help us understand exactly what families need to thrive. In addition to providing crucial information, the survey is designed in such a format that families can use it in their planning processes for obtaining specific family support. And it will provide immediate links to the best online resources for each type of need identified. Find out more and pass along this link to the survey to potential respondents from the Beach Center on disability at the University of Kansas website.
Film Festival Success in Washington State
The Arc of Whatcom County in Bellingham, WA, celebrated the success of The Arc & Sprout National Film Festival in their community on last week with more than 600 people in the audience over several screenings. They were treated to a selection of short films for, about and by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities provided by Sprout. The Arc & Sprout National Film Festival is working with eight chapters of The Arc in 2013 to bring a film festival fundraiser/friendraiser to places as diverse as Baltimore, MD and Seville, OH. Next up is Boise, Idaho where The Arc of Idaho has their third annual film festival planned for May 3-4. Find out more about how your chapter can host a film festival with marketing and organizing support from The Arc.
Online Education Opportunities
New Education Opportunities from Autism NOW
Autism NOW – The National Autism Resource & Information Center, which is a project of The Arc funded in part by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, frequently offers online educational opportunities for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities and their families. All sessions are held on Tuesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST and pre-registration is required. April 30 Transportation Options and Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities May 14 Service Implications of the DSM-5 for People with Autism
Maximizing the Leadership Provided by Your Board
Board development activities can be particularly challenging for all-volunteer chapters. In this interactive webinar with guest facilitator Mara Winters, we’ll help you grow and develop your board to realize its full potential. We’ll discuss strategies for evaluating what skills are present on your board, identifying the unmet governance needs of your organization, and learn how to clearly state your expectations of board members. This will culminate in a plan leading to the successful recruitment of the board members you need. The presentation portion of the webinar will be followed by an open Q&A session where you can ask questions and exchange ideas with other chapter leaders on important board governance topics. Ms. Winters is a board governance expert with more than 20 years of experiences working with nonprofits on governance, organizational development and fundraising. She has helped place over 500 executives with nonprofit boards and has extensive volunteer experience in disability advocacy. This session is designed for chapters of The Arc who are led by a volunteer board, with no paid executive director and will be held on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 from 1pm – 3pm EST. Special registration of $10!
Chapter Focus
The Arc of Virginia Peninsula Creates New Opportunities for People with I/DD
On April 18, The Arc of the Virginia Peninsula kicked off a new business initiative with Alcoa Power and Propulsion to convert 12 million x-rays into digital data, directly creating 40 ongoing jobs for people with I/DD. This $6 million, multi-year contract will also provide an additional 60 periodic employment opportunities for people with I/DD in preparing the x-rays for recycling. The Arc of Virginia Peninsula worked with a team of experts, including NanoArk Corporation and Rochester Rehabilitation, to develop a highly technical proprietary system which is part of The Arc’s eXplore eRecycling program under which several chapters of The Arc have been awarded grants to create or expand electronics recycling programs designed to employ people with I/DD.
All About Branding Q: The name of my organization is very different from The Arc. Do we have to switch to the new logo? A: No. If you are well known using a name like LARC, STAR, or Monarch and you wish to keep that identity, you can sign an Affiliated Licensing Agreement allowing you to show affiliation with The Arc with an additional logo.
Congratulations to The Arc of Dunn County named 2012 NonProfit of the Year by the Greater Menomonie Chamber of Commerce.
We encourage you to share this publication with other staff members and volunteer leadership of The Arc, and have them become an online user to gain valuable information in the “For Chapters” section of our website.
For online access to “For Chapters,” click on the “For Chapters” link at bottom left of The Arc home page under “Chapter Resources.” If you’re already logged in, you will be brought directly to the “For Chapters” section. If you’re not logged in, you will be prompted to follow a link to the login page. If you’re a member, simply enter your username and password and click login. If you’re not a current member, click on “New User Registration” and complete the new user form. Under “Chapter Involvement,” please be sure to select “Employee of a Chapter.” Within 24 hours you will have access to the “For Chapters” section of the website.
Tony Paulauski Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@www.thearcofil.org
