THE ARC OF THE UNITED STATES

Chapter leadership, volunteer & professional development: the arc of the united states (the arc) supported a network of nearly 600 affiliated state and local chapters that advocated on behalf of, and provided services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (idd) and their families. The arc promoted best practices in access, equity, and inclusion through a series of chapter webinars and promoted best practices in programs, services and supports for people with idd. The arc kept chapters informed of critical information and developments in the field, including in subject areas such as early intervention, integrated education, transition, supported employment, supported and independent living, health care, decision-making supports, financial planning and recreation and community service. Support was provided to board members, executive directors and other volunteers and staff of the affiliated chapters through a bi-weekly email newsletter (fusion), a state chapter retreat, periodic video conferences for chapter leaders, periodic webinars, an annual leadership institute, a national convention, written educational materials, email discussion groups, extensive content available online, and one-to-one technical assistance via telephone and email. Programming was conducted using virtual meeting technology some programming was conducted using virtual meeting technology to make it accessible to as many people as possible.the arc provided technical assistance and support to individuals with disabilities, their family members and friends to organize new chapters of the arc, and to strengthen and stabilize existing chapters, so that they may effectively advocate on behalf of and serve their constituents at the state and local level. The arc also promoted information sharing and exchange of ideas among and between all of our chapters. The arc embarked on a new chapter data integration project that will create an interactive data exchange system across the entire chapter network. The goals of this project are to increase the accuracy of our data collection and demonstrate the collective impact of our chapters, improve the efficiency of chapter invoicing and payments, create a platform for chapter engagement with each other, and create a centralized system for resource sharing.

Public education: the arc of the united states (the arc) educated people with disabilities, their parents and other family members, the media and members of the public about the needs, interests, issues and concerns of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (idd) and their families. The arc's public education efforts covered a broad range of subject areas, such as public policy, housing, employment, education, healthcare, criminal justice, and volunteerism and community service.the arc's enewsletter, empower, was distributed throughout the year to members of the association as well to other interested individuals. The arc's websites provide members of the public access to a broad range of information and a variety of free publications providing practical advice about the inclusion of people with idd in all aspects of community life. Social media sites help spread the information to a broader audience. The arc also monitors local and national media coverage about people with idd, and developments reported by state and local chapters, and informs website users about current events affecting people with idd and their family. Our public service announcements introduce viewers to the arc and what's possible in the lives of people with disabilities.the arc responded to hundreds of written, phone, and e-mail inquiries from individuals and organizations, providing information and resources on a variety of topics related to idd. Information was needed by many families on: aging and disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, future planning, housing and residential facilities, rare disorders, education issues, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, able accounts, pooled special needs trusts, decision-making supports, and legal and criminal justice issues.