The Arc of Racine County Celebrates 66 Years of Service to Disabled Community Members

IMPACT PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

THE ARC OF RACINE COUNTY CELEBRATES 66 YEARS OF SERVICE TO RACINE COUNTY FAMILIES

March 16, 2020

The Arc of Racine County advocates for intellectually and developmentally disabled children and adults by safeguarding their rights, facilitating choice, and promoting independence and inclusion in their schools and communities. It provides direct support and guidance to parents and offers referrals to local agencies, helping students from three to 21 improve their educational outcomes.

What makes The Arc of Racine County stand out among other organizations?

Did you know The Arc of Racine County was one of the first of Arc’s 250 chapters to form? How about that Arc chapters were instrumental in advocating for ADA and IDEA legislation? The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act form the foundation for the special education, competitive employment, independent living and healthcare benefits and programs that millions of disabled people in the U.S. receive today.

What do you think most people would be surprised to learn about the Arc?

Parents are at the root of our home-grown advocacy organization. In 1954, Racine parents, especially moms, began hosting meetings around their kitchen tables to discuss how their disabled children could have a better quality of life. This led to the formation of local chapters like ours all across the U.S. 

Today, The Arc of Racine County continues its grass-roots advocacy efforts, providing information to parents on disability rights and services, educational programs for parents and their disabled children, direct support at school meetings and referral services to local agencies. Board members and community volunteers attend local meetings regularly to speak out for needed changes to impact the quality of education, healthcare and employment for disabled people in Racine County.

Is there anything else you think the community should know about your work?

We assist more than 300 families each year who need help understanding special education rights and laws and need our support at their children's annual special education (IEP) meetings. We are the only local, independent agency that continues to provide this free service to families. We assist over 1,000 people each year who call for information, resources or referral services. 

We encourage community involvement. Arc volunteers and board members participate in local and state initiatives with disabled students and adults to promote socialization, advocacy and independence. We invite parents, siblings and community volunteers who would like to help and/or join us in these initiatives. We welcome your suggestions and participation!

Our Believers and Achievers Capital Campaign begins March 15th. Please consider donating to help us keep our programs strong! For more information, please visit our website at TheArcofRacine.org, follow us on Facebook to hear disabled people’s stories, or call (262) 634-6303.

Peggy Foreman is the executive director of The Arc of Racine County.