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Letter from the CEO |
Peter V. Berns
CEO of The Arc |
Public Service Announcements Available for Your Use
In August, The Arc distributed our two new public service announcements to more than 800 broadcast and cable TV stations around the country. According to the most recent report, in the few months since the spots were distributed they have been aired more than 5,900 times by 161 stations in 76 media markets around the country. Less than 40% of the airings are happening late night; we are getting good exposure, particularly in the early morning (5 am – 9am) and daytime (9am – 4pm) time slots. Let us know if you are hearing from people that have seen the PSAs and what they have to say.
More importantly, you can make sure that the PSAs are aired in your media market and that they drive attention to your chapter of The Arc. We encourage chapters to download copies of the PSAs from The Arc’s website(you must be logged in to access this page) and take them to your local TV stations. We’ve left room at the end of each for you to customize the PSA with your own name and contact information (e.g. web address or telephone number). Most TV stations can easily do this video editing for you for free, or find a local video editor to help you with it for a reasonable cost. These PSAs are a great way to educate your community about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and, of course, about The Arc.
We want to continue to provide resources such as these PSAs, but need your support to do so. Please consider making a contribution to The Arc’s Rebranding Initiative Fund before the end of the year. With your donation to the fund, we can continue our ongoing efforts to make sure that The Arc becomes as well known as other major national charities and give you the tools you need to be successful in your community. It’s a challenging time economically, but that makes it even more important to invest now in building The Arc’s brand. As always, you can reach me at berns@thearc.orgor 202.534.3701. |
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Resources & Opportunities |
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The Arc and Managance Consulting & Coaching Offer Leadership Coaching Group
There are only five spots left in a new leadership coaching group launching November 7 for Executive Directors of The Arc. There is still time to participate by signing up today! The Arc and Managance Consulting & Coaching is piloting a new affordable coaching group designed specifically for Executive Directors. The group will meet by telephone from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST on November 7 and 21, December 5 and 19, January 16 and 30 and February 13. Get more information at a free informational conference call Wednesday, November 2 at 3:30 p.m. EST. RSVP with your name and contact information by Tuesday, November 1 to Denice Hinden at drhinden@managance.comto receive the call-in information. You can also email Denice anytime with questions or register for the coaching group now. |
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Advocacy & Lobbying – Not Dirty Words!
Advocacy. Lobbying. Public Policy. Grassroots engagement. Oh, my! But they’re not dirty words. Organizations like The Arc can and should engage in such activities and we can tell you how in during a new Webinar December 8 at 2:00 p.m. EST. The Arc has successfully engaged advocates and chapters in advocacy campaigns such as “Don’t Cut Our Lifeline!” and we’re planning to ramp up 2012 election participation. But how far can we actually go as a nonpartisan nonprofit? Join Ralph Scott, Community Organizer/Campaign Manager and Dee Dee Eberle, Director, Chapter Organizing & Advocacy to dispel myths and provide important information on how The Arc can—and should!—be actively involved in advocacy and lobbying that benefits people with I/DD and their families. If you’re an Executive Director, Board President, public policy and advocacy staff or volunteers, register now on The Arc’s website. |
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Seeking Best Practices from Chapters
The Arc Chapter Excellence Advisory Group is looking for best practices to share, replicate and use as templates for setting standards reflective of our Core Valuesof People First, Equity, Community, Self-Determination and Diversity. We invite chapter volunteers and staff to submit their best practice in five categories: Employment, Housing, Healthcare, Family/Caregiver Supports and Support of Direct Service Professionals for review and possible inclusion in Fusion and online communications. Also, we would like to highlight several best practices in the area of Employment at the Alliance for Full Participation SummitNovember 18. You should have received an email recently outlining the submission protocol. Complete this online submission formby Friday, November 4th. For more information, contact Laurie Ertz, Director of the Chapter Excellence Group, at ertz@thearc.orgor 202-534-3708. |
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Find Out More About Standards for Excellence Certification
Join The Arc for an information session on the Standards for Excellence® certification program November 17 at 2:00 p.m. EST. This webinar will cover what the Standards are, why they are important and arm you with the tools you need to get started. Learn how to access the available resources and how you can incorporate the Standards for Excellence® into your chapter. Presented by Kate Hull, Project Specialist Standards for Excellence®. Register now at The Arc’s website. |
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News & Action Items |
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Special Issue of Prominent Journal to Cover FASD
The Arc’s Project & Information Specialist, Leigh Ann Davis, will be attending a press conference in Washington, D.C. hosted by the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) to announce the release of a groundbreaking double issue of the Journal of Psychiatry and Law regarding people with FASD in the criminal justice system. The group will also brief members of Congress. Leigh Ann, an expert on issues of criminality and victimization concerning people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, contributed her expertise to the journal issue. A high percentage of incarcerated juveniles and adults have symptoms of FASD, yet many lawyers, judges and mental health professionals do not know much about it so it goes unrecognized. Pulling together leading experts in the field such as Leigh Ann, this special issue of Journal of Psychiatry and Lawwill help to raise awareness of the serious needs of people with FASD. |
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Social Security Expands List of Compassionate Allowances Conditions
The Social Security Administration has added 13 new conditions involving the immune system and neurological disorders to its Compassionate Allowances program. This program speeds up disability decisions to make sure that Americans with the most serious disabilities receive their benefit decisions within days instead of months or years. The conditions include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, a number of rare genetic disorders of children, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Find out more at disability.gov. |
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Department of Education Releases Policy Clarifications for Students with Disabilities
The Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education has issued an important policy clarification document that will have positive impacts on physical education programming for students with disabilities. “Creating Equal Opportunities for Children and Youth to Participate in Physical Education and Extracurricular Athletics” is a response to a Government Accountability Office (GAO-10-519) report that found that opportunities for physical activity are limited for children and youth with disabilities. The 20-page report contains a summary of suggestions to increase physical education and extracurricular athletic opportunities for students with disabilities including: accessibility, equipment, personnel preparation, teaching styles, management of behavior, program options, curriculum, and assessment strategies. |
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How Well Does Your State Do in Providing Long-Term Services and Supports?
You can find out how well your state does in providing long-term services and supports (LTSS) for older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers with a new scorecard from the AARP, the Scan Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund. The report analyzes and scores each state’s LTSS performance regarding affordability and access, choice of setting and provider, quality of life and care, and support for family caregivers with 25 criteria. Download it now at longtermscorecard.org. |
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Handbook Offers College Advice For Students With Autism
A new guide released this week from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) offers a step-by-step look at college life for those with autism with tips on everything from classroom accommodations to dealing with roommates. The handbook was written by adults with the developmental disorder and is the first of its kind geared toward individuals with autism rather than parents or professionals. First person accounts and frank talk, offering young people with autism a look at the changes they can expect when transitioning to college both socially and academically touches on topics such as self-advocacy, independent living and basics like maintaining good eating and sleeping habits. The “Navigating College Handbook” is available as a free downloador in printed form for a fee. |
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Cars Equal Cash for Your Chapter
Looking for new ways to bring in more end-of-the-year donations? The Arc can help with our vehicle donation program – an easy way to turn unwanted cars into cash for your chapter. Donating is simple, we provide FREE towing and help with IRS paperwork. All you have to do is sign up and promote the program locally. We’ll provide a button that you can use to link your website to ours and give you marketing advice to make the most of the program. Check out the details on our website. You will need to be logged in to www.thearc.orgto access. |
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Chapter Focus |
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The Arc of Tennessee Staffers Honored
Carrie Hobbs Guiden, Executive Director of The Arc Tennessee and Frank Meeuwis, the director of People Talking to People project were honored by the Nashville Metropolitan Mayor Karl Dean’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities. Carrie was awarded the Public Policy Advocacy Award recognizing her leadership in promoting legislation and/or public policy that benefits people with disabilities. She worked for monumental legislative changes such as the Restraint and Seclusion Modernization Act and the creation of the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. And Frank was honored with the Jo Andrews Award recognizing a person with a disability who makes an important contribution to the disability community through his example and effort. Permanently injured in a car accident, Frank preserved through years of speech, physical and occupational therapy to earn a Master’s degree in social work. He is involved in politics, voter registration and is an active board member of the Brain Injury Association of Tennessee. The Arc congratulates them both! |
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Chapters Share Success Stories Online
In this and upcoming issues of Fusion, The Arc will feature news from Chapters participating in The Arc and Walmart Foundation-funded School-to-Community Transition Initiative. Forty-nine Chapters across the country have been awarded grants specifically to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their communities overcome issues related to transitioning from school to work, higher education or living in the community as an adult. Read about The Arc of the Quad Cities Area and Arcedu, an opportunity for young adults to take an interest and grow it into practical skills which will help them gain employment. Get more inspirational stories from other Chapters working on transition issues on our website. |
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Brand update
Have you checked out the resources available to branded Chapters of The Arc lately? We’ve added new resources such as information about The Arc & Sprout National Film Festival, an opportunity to promote the new brand in your community through an enjoyable fundraising event. Also, we have branding tips from our brand coordinator, Amberley Romo, who offers her graphic design expertise to help you use the visual identity effectively. Check them out in the For Chapters section of thearc.orgunder Chapter Resources – Branding. You must be logged in to access. |
| How many Chapters have signed up to use The Arc’s new brand? Find out on our website. |
Congratulations!
The Arc welcomes Rikki Epstein, M.Ed. as the new Executive Director of The Arc of Northern Virginia.
The Arc welcomes Maureen Cronin as the new Executive Director of The Arc of Pennsylvania beginning in late November. |
Upcoming Events
Check out the 28th Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and DiversityMarch 26-27, 2012 in Honolulu, Hawaii. This event includes a pre-conference International Forum on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on March 24-25. Both events are hosted by the Center on Disability Studies (CDS) at the University of Hawaii. |
Where’s Peter?
- November 17-19: Alliance for Full Participation Summit, Washington, DC
- November 30-December 2: NISH Board Meeting, San Diego, CA
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