RIT Enrichment offers a one-week inclusive exerience

Programs and Services

The Arc of Monroe, a not-for-profit organization supporting people with disabilities in Monroe County, was awarded $15,000 in grants from the Trustee Management Board of NYSARC Trust Services.  A portion of the grant goes towards recreation programs like The Arc of Monroe’s James M. Papero Enrichment Program at the Rochester Institute of Technology. For 26 years, the Arc of Monroe has provided a week-long inclusive experience for adults with developmental disabilities in partnership with RIT.  The five-day, overnight summer program which ran 6/25 – 6/29 included classes taught by faculty and student volunteers from RIT, staff from The Arc of …

End of Life Care and Choices

Staff Perspectives

End of life decisions are frightening, confusing and sometimes difficult to understand, yet they are so important to not only the person, but for those who love and care for them.  For so many of the people we support, we ARE their family.  We are the ones who love and care for them during critical illness and death.  The people we support are aging and many of us find ourselves helping these people and their families deal with terminal illness and death.  This is happening even when we have little to no experience ourselves with these challenges. So, what are …

Why Rebrand?

What's In The News

Did you hear the news?  The Arc of Monroe is going through a rebrand.  Some might say, “So what” and “big deal.”  For us a rebrand means a recommitment to the people we support and our community.  It IS a pretty big deal! Why rebrand? The Arc of Monroe is going to focus even more on the people we support and provide more services that meet their wants and needs.  To do this we are placing even more emphasis on Personal Outcome Measures (POMS).   Our staff interviews 15-20 people we support per month to find out what really matters in …

My Metamorphosis as a Direct Support Professional

Staff Perspectives

While doing the Direct Support Professional (DSP) Credential training, one of my tasks was to write a movie title, real or imagined, reflecting our roles as a Direct Support Professional. I chose the word metamorphosis. I knew I had started to change my views about work as a Direct Support Professional, but more was still to come. My simple example of metamorphosis is a caterpillar to a butterfly. Caterpillar Stage Think of the Direct Support Professional as a caterpillar when first hired. Most have good intentions to help the people we support who have disabilities.  Some of us are unsure …