The Arc of DC began as an advocacy organization in 1950. Since that time, the organization has worked to build strong relationships with families, community members, advocacy organizations, as well as the DC City Council, the Mayor's office, and other key city officials across the metropolitian area.

Through our advocacy efforts, we inform and educate key policy makers about issues important to persons with developmental disabilities and their families.

To learn more about recent Arc of DC advocacy efforts, click on the links in the menu to the left.

For more information about how to take action and get involved, please contact Matt Rosen at (202) 636-2963 or mrosen@arcdc.net.

NEWS

December 18, 2008 - The Department on Disability Services, Management Advisory Committee (DDS MAC) Legislative Committee has released a draft bill and supporting documents to rewrite the District's 30-year-old law governing supports and services for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The Arc of DC has been honored to participate in the DDS MAC Legislative Committee and to share the draft bill and supporting documents. View the documents by clicking on the DDRA links to the left. Anyone who is interested in the legislation is welcome to join the conversation and get updates by visiting the new blog at http://dc-ddleg.blogspot.com/ that is dedicated to this legislation.

December 12 , 2008 - The Arc of DC testified regarding the state of Special Education and the Strategy for Inclusion before the DC Council Committee of the Whole. Get more information here.

November 20, 2008 - Rachel Burton, Policy Specialist at The Arc of DC, testified on the DC Public Schools 2010 budget before Chancelor Michelle Rhee. Get more information here.

October 30, 2008 - Rachel Burton, Policy Specialist at The Arc of DC, testified before the DC City Council, Committee of the Whole, regarding the District of Columbia Public Schools Local School Budgets and the DCPS Planning and Budgeting Process. Rachel served as a volunteer for DC Voice's Ready School's Project this year and presented DC VOICE’s data regarding transfer of student records as well as The Arc of DC's work on special education in the District and the implications of untimely record transfers on the budgeting and planning process. Click here for the full testimony.

October 1, 2008 - Rachel Burton, Policy Specialist at The Arc of DC, testified before the Committee on Public Works and the Environment in support of B17-0936, regarding the Lead-Hazard Prevention and Elimination Act of 2008. District residents are at a heightened risk of contact with lead-based paint due to the age of our city’s housing stock, and it is estimated that 98% of residences built before 1978 contained lead-based paint. This means that the overwhelming majority of housing in the District could have lead-based paint, if dwellings have not been previously abated. Unfortunately, the impact of lead-based paint all too often disproportionately falls on families with the least resources to deal with abatement or to acquire health services for children who have lead poisoning. For the full text, click here.

September 19, 2008 - The Arc of DC testified, along with Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, before the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs on Chapter 11, Accessibility, of the proposed construction codes. Approximately 1 in 5 or 114,000 District residents are persons with disabilities, according to the U.S. Census. About 40% of District residents with disabilities report having a physical disability and may need some accommodations to access housing and public buildings. For the full text, click here.

December 11, 2007 The "Sense of the Council Regarding Rights and Services for Residents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and their Families Resolution of 2007" was enacted by the D.C. Council and is now Resolution 17-457. The resolution was approved by voice vote on December 11, 2007 with all Councilmembers present and voting "Yes."

Stay tuned for more information on next steps and opportunities for community involvement in the process of developing new laws, based on the values and principles in Resolution 17-457, that will guide future services and rights for DC residents with developmental disabilities and their families. Click here for the full text of Resolution 17-457.

October 30, 2007 A wide range of disability advocates testified before the D.C. Council in support of the resolution. The Arc of DC’s Board President, Senora Simpson was joined by Board member Robert C. Downs, Board emeritus members Harold and Betty Evans, and Executive Director Mary Lou Meccariello in testimony.

(l to r, Betty Evans, Harold Evans, Senora Simpson, Robert Downs)

P.R. 17-428, the “Sense of the Council Regarding Rights and Services for Residents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and their Families Resolution of 2007,” describes the values and principles that should guide new legislation for this population. The District’s existing laws on services for people with developmental disabilities date from 1978. At the time, the city was on the forefront of a growing civil rights movement to include people with disabilities in the community. Today, nearly 30 years later, the statute no longer reflects best practices for community services.

Last summer, the D.C. Council introduced a resolution stating the need to rewrite the city’s laws on services for people with developmental disabilities. The resolution also describes the values that should guide any new legislation.

Documents: 

Resolution: Sense of the Council Regarding Rights and Services for Residents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and their Families Resolution of 2007

Mr. & Mrs. Harold Evans, Testimony

Senora Simpson, Board President, Testimony

Robert Downs, Board Member, Testimony

Mary Lou Meccariello, Executive Director, Testimony.

 

(more pictures here...)