Arc of the United States
The Arc of the United States is an organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization was founded in the 1950s by parents of people with developmental disabilities. The Arc of the United States is based in Washington, D.C. and, as of 2024, operates 577 chapters in the city as well as all states except Maine.
Programs and activities
The Arc of the United States primarily conducts advocacy and public awareness work focused on Medicaid, special education, Social Security, and health care policy; it also organizes grassroots advocacy within the same fields. The organization also advocates against stigma and discrimination against disabled people. This includes awareness campaigns to combat ableist slurs and to advocate for better employment for people with disabilities.Its special education initiative, Arc@School, provides plain-language training and resources about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federal law ensuring children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education.
The National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability is a program of The Arc of the United States established in 2013 with support from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance. It serves to provide training and resources for justice professionals. They also provide resources to perople with disabilities who are actively interacting with the criminal justice system. This can include victims, witnesses, suspects, defendants, and detainees
The organization hosts a National Convention that hosts people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, family members, professionals, and advocates to discuss current issues; historical speakers have included John F. Kennedy, who addressed the National Convention in 1963.
The Arc oversees Wings for Autism/Wings for All, an annual airport “rehearsal” program run with airlines, airports, and security partners to help travelers with autism and other IDDs prepare for air travel.
According to financial statements submitted to the IRS, the organization's 2019 income was $9.8 million. Its end of year assets were reported to be $13.4 million. Major sources of income are charitable donations; dues for membership in local and state chapters; and government grants, contracts, and fees.
History
The first organization of families was the Children's Benevolent League, incorporated in 1936 in the state of Washington. The San Francisco chapter was founded in 1951.From 1953 to 1973 the organization was called the National Association for Retarded Children, adopting the mantle of the New York-based NYSARC.
File:Meeting with 1972 Poster Child of the National Association for Retarded Children - NARA - 194760.tif|thumb|upright|President Richard Nixon meeting with the 1972 poster child of the NARC.
From 1973 to 1981, the name was changed to the National Association for Retarded Citizens. From 1981 to 1992 that was changed to Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States. The Arc assumed its present name in 1992, recognizing the pejorative nature of the word "retarded".
In the 1980s the Arc condemned the use of physical punishment to modify behavior in people with disabilities.
In 2008, the Arc was among a group of disability organizations, including the Special Olympics and the National Down Syndrome Congress, which called for a boycott of the film Tropic Thunder, partly due to the way it used the word "retard".
In 2021, Berkshire County Arc management and board were found to have misused state funds on company building projects and personal credit cards, which the CEO said,"The end result was that there was no finding of wrongdoing or financial misappropriation of funds."