The Arc of the United States is an organization serving people with

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

and

developmental disabilities Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

. The organization was founded in the 1950s by parents of people with developmental disabilities. Since then, the organization has established state chapters in 39 states, and 730 local chapters in states across the country. The Arc of the United States is based in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Work

The organization advocates for disabled people and helps them with issues like finding jobs, and helping employers adapt to the needs of disabled people. According to financial statements submitted to the IRS, the organization's 2019 income was $9.8 million. Its end of year assets were reported to be $13.4 million. Major sources of income are charitable donations; dues for membership in local and state chapters; and government grants, contracts, and fees. The Arc's National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability deals with the unique misunderstandings that can happen on all sides.

History

The first organization of families was the Children's Benevolent League, incorporated in 1936 in the state of Washington. The San Francisco chapter was founded in 1951. From 1953 to 1973 the organization was called the National Association for Retarded Children, adopting the mantle of the New York-based NYSARC. From 1973 to 1981, the name was changed to the "National Association for Retarded Citizens". From 1981 to 1992 that was changed to "Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States". The Arc assumed its present name in 1992, recognising the pejorative nature of the word "retarded". In the 1980s the Arc condemned the use of

physical punishment A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or paddling. When ...

to modify behavior in people with disabilities. In 2008, the Arc was among a group of disability organizations, including the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

and the National Down Syndrome Congress, which called for a boycott of the film

Tropic Thunder ''Tropic Thunder'' is a 2008 Satire (film and television), satirical Action comedy, action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., ...

, partly due to the way it used the word "retard". In 2021,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

County Arc management and

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ...

were found to have misused state funds on company building projects and personal credit cards, which the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

said resulted in organizational changes.

References

External links

The Arc of the United StatesForbes: Company Overviews: The Arc of the United States
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arc Of The United States Disability organizations based in the United States Disability law advocacy groups in the United States Disability in Washington, D.C. 501(c)(3) organizations Charities based in Washington, D.C. Organizations established in 1950 1950 establishments in the United States