Programs

Advocacy and Empowerment

The Arc of Massachusetts plays a leadership role in advocating on both the state and federal levels to obtain services and supports for people of all ages with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This includes ensuring that elected leaders and public officials understand the needs of our constituents, advancing progressive regulations or policies, and working with the judicial system if needed. We encourage families and individuals to advocate for their personal goals.

Education, Trainings, and Webinars

The Arc provides a range of webinars and outreach sessions to assist families in their caregiving role and to educate them about resources that are available. We provide self-advocates, parents, educators, and other professionals the tools they need to assure positive transitions from school to adulthood, so they can be fully included in the community with access to housing, employment, and recreation. Our work with the Massachusetts Alliance for 21st Century Policy, including the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, involves both education and empowerment.

Operation House Call

Operation House Call (OHC) teaches new medical professionals essential skills to enhance the health care of persons with IDD. Families, parents, and individual self-advocates serve as educators in a health care field that seldom focuses on more than making a diagnosis. It is a rare and important training opportunity for students at Boston University School of Medicine, Tufts Medical School, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Simmons College School of Health Sciences, and Yale University School of Nursing. Through OHC, students begin to build confidence and interest in working with individuals with IDD and their families.

SUPPORTbrokers

SUPPORTbrokers assists persons with disabilities achieve their vision. We accomplish this through planning, education, and advocacy. Consumers or families hire a support broker to help them find appropriate services and supports to thrive in their community. Brokers can help consumers find transportation, a place to live, someone to help them with daily living skills, a job counselor, and other linkages. They also can facilitate and create a person-centered plan and help consumers apply for Social Security or health insurance, among other benefits.

Pathways to Friendship (Widening the Circle)

Widening the Circle explores the benefits of relationships between people with and without disabilities and provides information on engaging in and sustaining those relationships. Building friendships can be especially challenging to people who have disabilities, whose relationships are often limited to family, paid staff, and others with disabilities. All people benefit from a diversity of relationships.

Headlines

a group of people standing next to each otherHealth PolicyNewsOperation House Call
January 4, 2025

Operation House Call: Need a New Year’s Resolution? Become an OHC Host Family!

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to become more involved in advocacy, Operation House Call (OHC) is a great place to start! The Arc’s groundbreaking health equity program…
a man and a woman standing next to each other holding sparklersGovernment AffairsNews
January 1, 2025

CEO Maura Sullivan: Your New Year’s Resolution: Engage in Advocacy with The Arc!

In this video message, CEO Maura Sullivan shares wishes for a happy, healthy, and empowered 2025, laying out some of the many ways you can get involved with The Arc…
a group of people sitting in a roomHealth PolicyNewsOperation House Call
December 17, 2024

Operation House Call: Reflecting on a Year of Growth in 2024

Operation House Call, The Arc’s health equity program, continued to grow in 2024. This year, OHC parent instructors taught 32 classes and reached over 1,200 students in Massachusetts across medical…

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