Alison Cundy

Top 10 Benefits of Working at the Arc of Monroe

Staff Perspectives

When I came to work for the Arc of Monroe I had no idea I was signing up for more than a job.  I find that there is so much more offered than just a paycheck.  Below are my own personal Top 10 benefits of working here. Top 10 Benefits: 10.  People who genuinely care and want to help each other Everyone who works at the Arc is here for a similar reason; we want to help people.  We are a caring, empathetic, compassionate group of people who want to make our Rochester community a better place.  I am grateful …

Let’s Talk About Sexuality

Staff Perspectives

What is sexuality? What is love? Can two people have sex and not make a baby? Does everyone have sex? What is safe sex? What does consent mean? How do I meet someone that I can have sex with? Sexuality These are just some of the questions that the people I support may ask during a session. And no, not all of the people I support are so interested in the subject. In fact, some of them are not focused on it at all. But, conversations about sexuality, when they do happen, go far beyond “the birds and the bees”, …

Why We Are Choosing Inclusive Day Care

Staff Perspectives

My husband Nick and I have both work or have worked in the field supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I currently work in the field, and have for almost 11 years, and my husband previously worked with supportive employment for some time before starting his HVAC career.  When we decided to have our first baby we looked into inclusive day care.  We both wanted our son Declan to learn that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, and that differences are a good thing.  When Declan was first born we visited my place of employment and …

Ron Follansbee

Are You Crazy?!

Staff Perspectives

Odds are that at one point or another, you have been referred to as “crazy”.  If you are anything like me, you question your sanity on a regular basis.  Oftentimes this declaration follows an emotional response that seems out of proportion to the intensity of the situation at hand.  In this blog series, I would like to explain what is truly happening here and what we can do about it. Emotions are OK Let me point out that your emotions, regardless of how illogical they appear, are not wrong.  In fact, your feelings probably would make a lot of sense …

Community Arts Connection

Launching a New Service

Staff Perspectives

It is not every day that you get to be a part of the launch of a brand new service but here at Community Arts Connections (CAC) I have been lucky enough to be part of the process twice. The first was in the summer of 2012 when Community Connections was launched to fill the upstairs space at 985 Elmwood Avenue. The second was April 23rd, with the first day of the aptly named “Encore”. Encore is a respite service, a wraparound program for socialization and leisure; and while I believe the initial seven people who joined us yesterday experienced …