July 16-20, 2018 is National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW)! The REV UP Campaign, organized by the American Association of People with Disabilities, coordinates NDVRW each year to get people with disabilities registered to vote, educated about the upcoming election, and ready to cast their ballots. REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use Your […]
People living with mental health disabilities and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are disproportionately represented in contacts with law enforcement and other first responders, as well as in every part of the criminal justice system, including jails and prisons. While people with I/DD comprise 2 to 3 percent of the general population, they represent 4 […]
Earlier this month, the Trump administration rescinded guidance the Department of Education provides to colleges, universities and K-12 schools on how they can use race and ethnic background in admissions decisions to promote diversity. The Arc has released the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s actions: “This is the latest of a series […]
Yesterday, the Trump Administration announced funding cuts to programs that assist people enrolling in health insurance. It would result in severe cuts to the Navigator program totaling more than $25 million. Specifically, the funding cuts would decrease the program budget from $36.8 million this year to $10 million in 2019. Health Care Navigators provide in […]
In fall of 2017, The Arc of Colorado welcomed Christiano Sosa as its new Executive Director. With a strong background in cause-driven work, Christiano has spent his first few months at the helm achieving big policy victories in employment, housing, DSP wages, and more. Welcome to The Arc Family! Can you tell us a little bit […]
Washington, DC – Today, the United States Senate passed its version of the “Farm Bill” (Manager’s Amendment to the House version of the 2018 Agriculture and Nutrition Act), a bill to reauthorize farm programs and policy as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). “We applaud the United States Senate for its bipartisan work […]
Critical Consumer Protections Missing, Potentially Impacting Affordability of Other Plans On June 19th, the Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule on Association Health Plans (AHPs), finalizing the DOL’s proposed rule released on January 5, 2018. AHPs allow groups of small business to band together and purchase […]
#HandsOff is a series on The Arc Blog. Each month, we feature a story from individuals and families across The Arc’s network about how some of today’s key policy issues impact their day to day lives. By: Rachna Heizer, Member of The Arc of Northern Virginia I am the mother of Jake, a 16 year […]
Washington, DC – Washington, D.C. – Today, The U.S. Supreme Court declined to grant review of Dassey v. Dittman. Brendan Dassey, a young man with social, learning, and developmental disabilities, was a central figure in Netflix’s smash docuseries, Making a Murderer. He was sentenced to life in prison at the age of 16 after conviction for first-degree homicide, rape, and […]
Washington, DC – The Arc released the following statement in response to President Trump’s signing of an Executive Order on family separations. The Executive Order directs the Department of Homeland Security to detain families together during the pendency of criminal proceedings for illegal entry or other immigration proceedings relating to any of the family members. […]