Advocacy at The Arc of Monroe
The Arc of Monroe works hard every day to empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live fulfilling lives. One of the many ways we do that is through our advocacy efforts. Whether it's advocating for increased wages for our direct support professionals (DSPs), asking legislators to support IDD employment initiatives, supporting our self advocates, or educating the community about disability inclusion, we strive to be a leader in advocacy to better support people with IDD.
On this page, you will find The Arc's position on various pieces of legislation, how you can get involved, and information about our self advocacy group, Arc Alliance.
How Can You Help?
>> Tell your representatives with one click to vote NO on eliminating section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. This will help our community
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- Keep workers with disabilities employed.
- Create productive, safe training environments for people with disabilities who wish to prepare for a career.
- Develop resources to assist local businesses in creating better opportunities for people with disabilities on their staff.
>> Tell your representatives with one click to vote YES to the Better Care Better Jobs Act to ensure
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- Programs and funds are established for state Medicaid programs to improve home- and community-based services (HCBS), such as home health care, personal care, case management, and rehabilitative services.
- Staff caring for people with disabilities are paid a reasonable wage.
Overview Hiring and Tax Incentives for Employers
Is your business hiring? Consider partnering with The Arc of Monroe! You'll not only help employ someone with a disability, but you'll also enhance your business in many ways. Here is an overview of a few Hiring and Tax Incentives for Employers. Within the overview, you’ll find source links and documents received from ACCES-VR in the past for additional information on ACCES-VR, their business services, On-the-Job Training Program, Work Try-Out Program and the NYS Department of Labor Federal Bonding Program:
Arc of Monroe Contacts
Brian Potvin
Coordinator of Person-Centered Approaches & Arc Alliance Leader
(585) 643-0097
bpotvin@arcmonroe.org
Christen Smith
Director of Marketing & Communications
(585) 773-8535
chrsmith@arcmonroe.org
Government Representatives
Senator Charles E. Schumer
780 Third Avenue, Suite 2301
New York, NY 10017
Click to Email
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Kenneth B. Keating Federal Office Building
100 State Street
Room 4195
Rochester, NY 14614
Click to Email
Congressman Chris Jacobs
128 Main Street
Geneseo, NY 14454
Click to Email
DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL STATISTICS AND FACTS IN THE US
Source: Zippia.com
Research Summary: Using a database of 30 million profiles, Zippia estimates demographics and statistics for direct support professionals in the United States. Our estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
46.3Average Age of a DSP
DSP GenderFemale - 71%
Male - 25%
Most Common DegreeHigh School Diploma - 23%
Bachelor's Degree - 23%
$29,469Annual DSP Pay
50%Non-profits is the most common industry hiring DSPs
$11,000Average Starting Salary for DSP
Arc Alliance Self Advocacy Group
Arc Alliance is a self advocacy group organized by The Arc of Monroe that is comprised of people with disabilities. The group meets monthly to talk about the latest issues that people with disabilities face in their communities, as well as practical solutions to bring meaningful change.
Want to get involved? The group is open to anyone in the greater Rochester area! Email Brian Potvin to learn about how to join.
Learn More About The Arc of Monroe!
