Affiliations
The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. We encompass all ages and more than 100 different diagnoses including autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and various other developmental disabilities.
With nearly 700 state and local chapters nationwide, The Arc is on the front lines to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families have the support and services they need to be fully engaged in their communities. The Arc works with its federation of state and local chapters to create an impressive network of human service agencies ensuring they have the strongest civil rights advocates promoting and protecting their needs at all levels.
Our nationwide network of chapters provides a wide range of human services and other supports to people with I/DD and their family members, including individual and public policy advocacy and residential, educational, and vocational services that let people with I/DD participate and be included in their communities. In addition, many of our chapters provide person-centered and financial planning, recreational activities, and other supports that meet the unique needs of people with I/DD and their families.
The nation’s source for resources and information on community-based solutions for individuals with autism, other developmental disabilities, and their families. A national initiative of The Arc.
The Arc New York, formerly known as NYSARC, was founded in 1949 to serve a critical mission – to improve the quality of life for people with developmental and other disabilities. What started as a support group and day nursery for families coping with these disabilities has grown to become the largest nonprofit in New York State serving those with developmental and other disabilities. With 52 Chapters across New York State, The Arc New York supports more than 60,000 individuals, employs 30,000 people, and has a membership of more than 100,000. We offer programs and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, provide programmatic, financial, compliance, and guardianship support to Chapters, and offer a variety of trust services to give people with disabilities the opportunity to remain in their communities with greater comfort and independence, while providing peace of mind to their family and loved ones.
The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) is a national non-profit whose mission is to elevate the status of direct support professionals by improving practice standards; promoting system reform; and advancing their knowledge, skills and values. Our vision is a world with a highly qualified and professional direct support workforce that partners with, supports and empowers people with disabilities to lead a life of their choosing.
NADSP values the full participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life through the provision of person-centered supports. We believe that high quality support requires all professionals to follow the individual path suggested by the unique gifts, preferences, and needs of each person they support, and to walk in partnership with the person, and those who love him or her, toward a life of opportunity, well-being, freedom, and contribution.
The New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation (New York Alliance) envisions a society where individuals with disabilities are contributing citizens with equal rights and the ability to live full, productive and meaningful lives. It serves as a catalyst for positive change and leading resource for individuals with disabilities, their families, and the organizations supporting them.
It does this through:
• Advocacy
• Education & Training
• Technical Assistance & Practice Improvement
• Advancing Sound Public Policy
The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is responsible for coordinating services for more than 130,000 New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and other neurological impairments. It provides services directly and through a network of approximately 700 nonprofit service providing agencies, with about 80 percent of services provided by the private nonprofits and 20 percent provided by state-run services.The mission of the NYS OPWDD is to help people with developmental disabilities live richer lives.
The Rhythmic Arts Project (TRAP) was founded in 1997 by Eddie Tuduri. TRAP is essentially an education program utilizing drums and percussion to address many basic life skills. By integrating drums and percussion into proven methods of teaching, this innovation has spawned a new and enjoyable learning curve.