ArcWorks

Labor Day Tribute

Staff Perspectives

What is Labor Day?  Sure it’s the first Monday in September and it’s a bank holiday.  Why do we observe it? It’s a celebration of social and economic achievements in the United States.  Each person has something to contribute.  No job is too big or too small.  America is a leader in the free work partly because of our labor force. According to U.S Department of Labor we are the lowest unemployment rate in 18 years as of July 2018, that being 3.9%.  The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 8.5%!  Why? I think there are many misconceptions about hiring …

What is Person-Centered Language?

Advocacy

Think of a time when you typed up an email or posted a comment on Facebook really fast. Before you hit send, you looked it over and thought “wow, that’s now how I wanted that to come across.”  You then found yourself going back and typing it all over again to send your message in the way it was intended. While the intentions in your remarks probably weren’t negative, the words that you used set the wrong tone for what you were trying to say.  Thinking about what you’re saying and how you’re saying are huge components of person-centered language. …

SummerFest: A History

Uncategorized

The very first “SummerFest”, or known back then as “Client Day”, was held on September 3, 1986.  This annual tradition was started by Eunice Hanson.  She had a vision that the event would be an opportunity for parents and family members of people supported, staff, community leaders, members of the Board of Directors to come together each year to celebrate people supported by the agency.  Mrs. Hanson noted that the day would serve as one to honor the “real heart and soul of the agency” –  people who receive services or reside in one of The Arc’s residences. From 1986 …

Guardianship: What is it?

Programs and Services

The Arc of Monroe is Primary Guardian for over 30 people, most of whom live in our residential homes!  We are the second largest Arc Guardianship program in NYS, second only to Westchester County.  Our Guardianship program is used a a model program with other Arc chapters.  New Guardianship advocates from across the state are sent to us for mentoring which is a huge compliment. When some people think about people with disabilities having a Guardian, they many times picture mom and dad having “control” over their son or daughter’s lives.  This is NOT what Arc Guardianships are all about. The …

Peter Dancer

Whose Job Is Quality?

Staff Perspectives

Quality. Excellence. Satisfaction. As customers, these are things we expect, whether we’re at Walmart, Starbucks, riding a city bus, or getting our favorite ice cream cone on a hot day. While sometimes hard to clearly define, it’s kind of a, “I know it when I see it” sort of a thing. The people we support expect the same things when the look to us for support: Quality. Excellence. Satisfaction. So whose job is quality anyway? Sure, we have a quality department. But does that mean that this team is solely responsible for ensuring that some 1700 people we support feel …