Statewide Listening Tour

Our partner The Arc Maryland is pleased to announce the launch of a Statewide Listening Tour. We want to hear from the family members of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities!

Please join us to meet with other families and representatives from The Arc and share your stories!

The Arc Arcross Maryalnd
In Maryland, there are 10 local chapters and 1 state chapter of The Arc.  We collectively support more than 25% of the people in the state in DDA services.  Over 6,250 people are the direct beneficiaries of what we do, and countless others benefit as well through our programs and initiatives, events, newsletters, and other supports.

Individuals with disabilities and their families turn to The Arc for the opportunities they desire in life because they know we can deliver, and we do; year after year, and decade after decade!

The Arc is here for you.  We are united in our advocacy, our commitment to family support and preservation, our belief in the right to full inclusion and choices for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and in our belief that everyone benefits when children and adults of all abilities have the opportunity to live, learn, work and play together.

Purpose of the Statewide Listening Tour
There are currently many parent-participant advocacy groups that meet in various parts of the state that are locally-based, have specific goals or charters, a core membership, and who generally gather to share information with one another about what is possible, what is working with the resources that are available to families, what is not working, and what they would like to see for the future.  While these separate groups are critically important, equally important is uniting on shared views for broader, statewide impact.

It is one of The Arc Maryland’s primary objectives to ensure family stakeholders are active contributors to decisions that affect their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.  Over the years it has been proven time after time that meaningful change is most likely to happen when families are at the heart of that change.

We hope you will join with other families at one or more of the Statewide Listening Tour sessions.  The 2020 Legislative Session begins on January 8th, 2020 and your stories of experiences accessing needed supports and services and your hopes for your family members’ futures help us focus our grassroots advocacy.

Some Questions to Keep in Mind for the Listening Tour:

  • Does your family member with a disability currently access DDA Services or Supports or do you think they will in the future?  What supports do you hope to access?
  • What are some experiences you can share about life (as a parent or family member of a person with I/DD) and what do you hope for the future?
  • What is working well for you?  Are there any programs, resources, etc. in your county or city that are unique and particularly helpful that you would like to see replicated in other areas?  (Best Practices?)
  • Are there any gaps in your knowledge about what services, supports, resources, etc. are out there for you and your family member and if so, what would you like to have more information about?
  • Have you experienced any barriers to getting the supports and services that you need for your loved one and if so, have you been able to overcome them or are they ongoing?
  • Is there anything you would like to help to change, as far as any particular law or policy is concerned, and do you have any ideas for how you would change it?

How to Join In
You can attend one of our Listening Sessions where you can meet leaders of The Arc and other family members. Details on each stop of the Listening Tour are below.

Registration is free, but required to help us plan for space and refreshments.

Eastern Region (Click on link)
Date: December 17th, 2019 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Location: The Chesapeake College Cambridge Center, 418 Race St #1836, Cambridge, MD 21613
*The Arc Maryland is working to bring a second Listening Tour Session to the  Eastern Region in Salisbury. Please keep up with our communications for updates!

Central Region 1
Date:  December 19th, 2019 from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
Location:  The Arc Baltimore at Seton Business Park, 6151 Metro Dr, Baltimore, MD 21215

Central Chesapeake Region 2
Date:  January 4th, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Location:  The Arc Central Chesapeake Region Annapolis Office, 931 Spa Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401

Central Region 3
Date: January 8th, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Location:  The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region, 4513 Philadelphia Rd, Aberdeen, MD 21001, Belcamp, MD 21017

Southern Region 1*
Date: December 18th, 2019 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Location:  The Arc Prince Georges County, 1401 McCormick Dr, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
*This session will take place during The Arc Prince George’s County’s Open House. The registration below will redirect you to their Open House Registration.

Southern Region 2
Date:  December 18th, 2019 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Location:  The Arc Southern Maryland, 355 W Dares Beach Rd, Prince Frederick, MD 20678

Southern Region 3
December 19th, 2019 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: The Arc Montgomery County, 7362 Calhoun Pl, Rockville, MD 20855

Western Region
Date: December 18th, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Location: The Arc at Market Street, 555 S Market St, Frederick, MD 21701

Want More Information or Cannot Attend?
For more information about the Statewide Listening Tour, or if you cannot make it to a regional session, but would like to be contacted for future comments, please contact Kathleen Swanson, Director of Education and Advocacy at The Arc Maryland, at kswanson@thearcmd.org or at 410-571-9320.

Awarded Grant by the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund

EASTON, MD (November 4, 2019) – The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc CCR), a nonprofit committed to providing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) the opportunity to gain independence, today announced that it has been awarded a $40,000 grant by the Maryland Agriculture Education and Rural Assistance Fund (MAERDAF).

“We’re honored to receive such a notable MAERDAF grant, which will help The Arc CCR research and understand the network and complexities of employment trends in rural communities and form partnerships with other businesses in the 5 surrounding counties we serve,” said Jonathon Rondeau, CEO, The Arc Central Chesapeake Region. “Ultimately, it is our goal that the partnerships created within the scope of this grant work will not only help raise awareness of the employability of people with I/DD in the community but create a synergy that will lead to an increase of successful employment outcomes.”

The Arc CCR will utilize funding towards hiring a Workforce Strategy Consultant to research and analyze employment trends in the 5 counties of the Upper Eastern Shore (Talbot, Queen Anne, Kent, Caroline and Dorchester counties). This would include a comprehensive approach towards increasing employment to meet the critical need for Direct Support Professionals and increase meaningful and equitable employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Workforce Strategist would focus on understanding the network and complexities of employment in rural communities and create awareness of the employability of people with I/DD.

The Workforce Strategist would also form partnerships with businesses in the 5 counties, developing a network aimed at helping people connect, share resources and build capacity in the region. They will establish a coalition of thought leaders to participate in a needs assessment and collaborate in a partnership capacity.

MAERDAF provides grants to rural-serving nonprofit organizations that promote statewide and regional planning, economic and community development, and agricultural and forestry education. The Fund’s goal is to increase the overall capacity of rural-serving nonprofit organizations and community colleges to meet a multitude of rural development challenges and to help them establish new public/private partnerships for leveraging non-state sources of funding. The Rural Maryland Council (RMC) serves as the administrative agency in receiving the applications and disbursing the grants to the successful applicants.

For more information about The Arc CCR, please visit: http://www.thearcccr.org/.

About The Arc Central Chesapeake Region
The Arc Central Chesapeake Region provides services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through living options, workforce development and fiscal management services. Serving Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, The Arc provides an innovative, person-directed approach across the arc of a person’s life with a focus on equity and self-determination.

 

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities help create an inclusive workforce

Over the 20 years that I’ve been working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), I’ve seen an uptick in employers hiring people with I/DD as a way to create a diverse and inclusive workforce. It’s satisfying to see employers recognizing the benefits of including people with I/DD as part of their workforce.

In fact, recent research points to diversity and inclusion in the workforce having a profound positive affect on businesses. According to TalentLyft, a diverse workforce creates higher employee engagement, provides a variety of different perspectives and problem solving, and improves hiring results—benefits that many employers are beginning to value as they look to recruit. A study, Diversity Matters, found that having a diverse workforce impacts increased financial earnings.

As we honor National Disability Employment Awareness Month this October, we want to encourage businesses to continue to foster their interest in looking beyond the traditional workforce to build a more diverse and inclusive one. With more than 19 percent of adults in Maryland having a developmental disability, many are eager to find meaningful work and become financially independent. In fact, Maryland state population statistics show that the number of people with disabilities who are employed has increased between 2009 and 2016, with 34 percent of people with a disability and 25 percent of people with a cognitive disability employed out of the working population ages16 to 64.

As employers become increasingly interested in recruiting people with I/DD, some may be unsure of how to navigate the hiring process or unfamiliar with the types of accommodations that will be needed to create job success. Companies that want to hire people with I/DD should look to organizations that can help them reach this talented pool of employees.

For example, The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) has a workforce program and partners with more than 40 employers in Anne Arundel County who have recruited and employed nearly 60 people with I/DD. Live! Hotel and Casino is one local company that has recruited 11 of its employees through its long-time partnership with The Arc.

All of the Live! employees supported by The Arc have built their skill-sets and work experience through their tenure. Wegmen’s in Gambrills is another partner that has employed a handful of people supported by The Arc to fill opportunities in prepared foods, produce or as a helping hand.

The process for hiring people with I/DD by working with organizations like The Arc is simple and not much different than working with other types of employment agencies. Companies meet with The Arc’s workforce program team to inform them of job openings. The Arc looks to its pool of candidates and talks with those  who would have an interest in the position. An Employment Specialist helps the candidate apply for the job. Candidates then go through the interview process and provide their work experience and references.

One thing to consider when designing the interview process is providing alternative opportunities for candidates to demonstrate their qualifications beyond the traditional face-to-face interview. For instance, a walk through at the job site and demonstration of the job requirements allows the candidate and employer to converse about skills, work experience and expectations. The employer might find that a more visual presentation of the job opportunity could attract a candidate with genuine enthusiasm for the position.

Once an employee is hired, the job coach supports the new employee transition into the new position, helps the employer make any accommodations for a disability, and provides guidance on how to help the employee succeed in the new role. One tip program directors remind employers is that employees of all abilities should be held up to the same level of job accountability. This ensures employer’s needs are being met and also sets employees up for goal setting and success.

While October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we encourage employers to think about recruiting diverse workforces throughout the year. Lean on organizations such as The Arc to help fill job opportunities with people with I/DD. Continue to create a work culture that’s dynamic, diverse and inclusive. For more information about The Arc’s workforce program, please visit www.thearcccr.org/workforce-development/

Jonathon Rondeau is CEO of The Arc Central Chesapeake Region.


Visit the link: https://www.capitalgazette.com/opinion/columns/ac-cecolumn-rondeau-20191028-lqfrxxflxng77dmoibbwrxrbvu-story.html?fbclid=IwAR32HkyPjVcpIT_C0u9VhJ1mJUjSZSrEsW9AxtNyYpNWicaW7jR-DUVhR64

Comcast Newsmakers

Elena Russo sat down with CEO for The Arc Central Chesapeake Region, Jonathon Rondeau to talk about the organization and their mission to the community. 

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Update on the Financial Management and Counseling Services Contract

The Arc Headquarters

Dear Stakeholders,

It is with disappointment that we announce that The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) has submitted our official notice to withdraw from consideration as a vendor for the Financial Management and Counseling Services Contract (Solicitation MDH/OPASS 20-17751).

The Arc has supported people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a provider of Fiscal Management Services (FMS) for over 15 years. As the largest FMS provider in Maryland, The Arc has had the privilege to serve many people across the State in self-direction. Over the past several months, our team has worked diligently to comply with the procurement process and put forth a quality proposal for the State that reflects our experience and vision.

Unfortunately, the latest amendment decreasing the overall anticipated Participant pool, and removing the need for Counseling Services for DDA Participants, which impacted the Participant pool expected to receive Counseling Services significantly, has put us in a very difficult position. The RFP has outlined very demanding organizational infrastructure requirements that would not be sustainable without the appropriate scaling of services and associated revenue. Although we are passionate about serving our community in this capacity, we must consider the risks and strain to The Arc organization at-large if we were to receive an award under the revised conditions.

As we look towards this transition, it is important to remember that The Arc has a long history of incubating services and successfully transitioning services to a longterm provider. We are committed to working with DDA and all stakeholders to transition with excellence and to minimize the impact to Participants. The Arc will be meeting with the DDA in the next month to coordinate the transition to a new FMS vendor, once announced. Our decision to withdraw from the FMS RFP process does not affect any other aspects of The Arc’s programs & services.

Thank you for your support and patronage of The Arc’s Fiscal Management Services. If you have any questions regarding the transition, please reach out to Tracy Davis, Director of Fiscal Management Services, at tdavis@thearcccr.org.

Click here to download a PDF of this news release

Ethan Saylor Alliance

Group Photo

Fostering Dialogue Between People with Disabilities and Law Enforcement to Improve First-Responder Outcomes

By Jonathon Rondeau

In 2003, while working as a camp director for a local organization, I was fortunate to meet Ethan Saylor, then 16, a young man with Down syndrome and his mom, Patti, a nurse. I continued to maintain a relationship with the family ever since. I was saddened to learn the news on January 12, 2013, that Ethan, at age 26, had died tragically while being removed and restrained by Frederick County police officers at a movie theater. The turn of events ignited local and state leaders to review and develop better training and relationship-building programs for officers when dealing with people with developmental disabilities. By 2016, The Ethan Saylor Alliance was created and signed into Maryland law. Its goal is to create opportunities for self-advocates to play a role in educating the community about appropriate and effective interactions with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

I’m at an advantage in knowing how to engage and interact with people with I/DD because I’ve personally worked with and alongside people with disabilities for the last 20 years, dating back to my first job in high school. As CEO of The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc CCR), a nonprofit committed to providing people with I/DD the opportunity to gain independence, I’m proud to see our neighbors with I/DD become more active in the community through volunteering, working, and living independently like you or me.  With more than 19 percent of adults in Maryland with a developmental disability, it’s crucial that what happened to Ethan Saylor never happens again.

To begin the process of supporting law enforcement to better understand how to communicate with people with I/DD, The Arc CCR has been meeting with police officers, emergency/medical first responders and sheriffs. We have shared information and strategies on how to read body language, identify cues for listening and understanding, and understand some of the reactions of people with I/DD that can be easily misunderstood.

For example, a person with I/DD may respond to questions with a “yes” as a way to be polite; however, they may not fully comprehend the direction or question. Some may feel uncomfortable making eye contact, or may have vision impairments, which in an emergency situation may be interpreted as disrespect. Two key tips for law enforcement and first responders is to look for a support person nearby for assistance, and to speak clearly, giving one direction at a time.

With the support of a grant awarded to The Arc CCR by the Ethan Saylor Alliance, as well as support from The Arc Maryland, we’ve partnered with the Caroline County Schools, Benedictine and the Chesapeake Center to host a free community event on June 25 at Chesapeake College, that is designed to foster dialogue between people with disabilities, their families and to build on the tips we’ve provided to law enforcement and first responders thus far. Engagement and dialogue between these groups and people with I/DD is instrumental in helping first responders and law enforcement to really understand the importance of how to communicate with these members of the community during an emergency situation.  During the event, people with I/DD will lead an evening of games and activities as a way to start the dialogue.

The Arc CCR is proud of the interest and genuine excitement from Eastern Shore law enforcement and first responders in participating in the event. Many are looking forward to being more engaged with people with I/DD and their families. In addition to the communication strategies they will learn, the event gives first responders an opportunity to get to know members of their community with I/DD on a personal level, and those personal connections will be instrumental in the event of an emergency situation.

It’s my hope that the dialogue will continue. In fact, the Ethan Saylor Grant opens each spring to community-based organizations interested in developing and facilitating positive community interaction programs and activities with I/DD communities and law enforcement, and I encourage other organizations to apply. Together we could share our ideas and improve the safety for people with I/DD in emergency situations. For more information about the event, please visit: Community Improv Event Details

Celebration Impact

The Arc CCR Celebrates Community Members with Awards Honoring Leadership and Support for People with Disabilities

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc CCR) CEO, Jonathon Rondeau, and former The Arc CCR Board President and current Arc Maryland Board President, Laura Carr, recently presented members of the community with awards honoring leadership and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Chuy’s Tex Mex Restaurant was presented with the Leadership in Social Responsibility Award for being a community partner committed to the full inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live, work and play in their community.  Josh Cook, an employee at Friendly’s, received the Outstanding Personal Achievement Award, which recognizes a person supported by The Arc CCR for their dedication to the community they live in. The President’s Award honored The Arc CCR past-President, Steve Brennan, for his deep commitment and leadership to the organization. Patrese Williams, direct service professional who has been employed by The Arc CCR for over 17 years, was acknowledged with the Leadership in Direct Service Award. Tracy Davis, who has been with The Arc CCR for four years as the Director of Fiscal Management Services, was honored with the Leadership in Administration & Management Award for her leadership in moving the organization toward its shared vision. Finally, The Lorraine Sheehan Award for Advocacy was presented to Laura Howell, Executive Director of Maryland Association of Community Services (MACS). In her 15 years of leadership at MACS, Laura has been a steadfast advocate for Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Photo Caption: L-R: Front Row- Nicole Palumbo, kitchen manager, Douglas Degler, general manager, and Tommy Gough, employee of Chuy’s Tex Mex Restaurant; Josh Cook, Friendly’s employee; Steve Brennan, The Arc CCR past-president; Patrese Williams, direct service professional of The Arc CCR; Jonathon Rondeau, CEO, The Arc CCR; Tracy Davis, director of fiscal management services of The Arc CCR; Todd Pulleyn, and Laura Howell, executive director, Maryland Association of Community Services.