Celebrating 30 years of Believing in Dreams
and Making a Difference.

 
of Schuyler

providing supports for people with disabilities and their families. 

WELCOME!

In 1978, a group of courageous and sometimes radical parents and family members of people with developmental disabilities began the journey that is now known as The Arc of Schuyler. Those parents and family members knew there was something wrong with a system that forced their sons, daughters and brothers and sisters to travel, sometimes for 2 or more hours, to surrounding communities to receive some of the most basic services and supports. So they organized! They strategized and they protested when necessary. They joined forces with other parents and siblings of people who were even further away, housed in large, cold and inhumane institutions throughout New York State. They learned from people in nearby communities how organizations were formed locally to meet their family members’ needs.  

Today, as The Arc begins a celebration of 30 years of supports, these people are our heroes. We look to them with great respect and for support when needed. Our hope is that in the next 30 years, all of us will continue to walk in their large foot steps, leading and learning about supports for people with developmental disabilities. So, welcome to our web site. Please feel free to visit and learn along with the rest of us.

The Arc of Schuyler is a private, not-for-profit organization founded by parents and friends of people with disabilities in our community, located in Watkins Glen, NY with other sites throughout Schuyler County.

The Arc of Schuyler was chartered in 1978 by NYSARC, Inc., a statewide family based organization working with and for people with developmental disabilities in New York.

In addition, The Arc of Schuyler is a member of The Arc of the United States, a national organization on developmental disabilities. The Arc is committed to securing for all people with disabilities the opportunity to choose and realize their goals of where and how they learn, live, work and play.

From its modest beginnings of providing vocational programs for a small group of adults, the organization has grown to serving hundreds of individuals with disabilities and their families through various day, residential, and support service programs.

The Arc is governed by a volunteer board of directors, a majority of whom are parents or blood relatives of someone with a disability. The remaining board members are community leaders whose insight and experience provide assistance and direction to ensure The Arc is integrated into the community as a whole.
     

What's New Last Updated 05/12/2008

The Arc of Schuyler announces scholarships for High School seniors in Schuyler County. For more information and application click here.

The Arc of Schuyler's celebrates 30 years on May 16

This year marks an important milestone for The Arc of Schuyler: 30 years of providing supports to people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families.

The Arc was founded by a group of parents and friends of people with disabilities in 1978. Over the past 30 years, the organization has grown and evolved, but its basic mission remains the same.

To celebrate this and all of its accomplishments, The Arc will hold its 30th Anniversary and Birthday Celebration at the Watkins Glen Community Center on Fourth Street on Friday, May 16.

The evening’s celebration will include cocktails, dinner, and live music and dancing. Entertainment will be provided by the band Flame from Fulton County -- a band in great demand that is made up of 11 people with developmental and physical disabilities, including autism, Down’s syndrome, and blindness. The band's fame is growing fast, but its message remains this: it wants to change the world through music.

People of all ages and backgrounds connect with this band. Parents with developmentally disabled children are often overcome with emotion watching Flame -- inspired to hope that their child can achieve great things and, even more importantly, have a fun, fulfilling life.

The group has two strong-selling CDs and a full tour schedule, and has drawn the interest of documentary filmmakers and a TV production company interested in developing a project for it.

Flame began in 2003 from a recreation program at Lexington in Fulton County. The plan was to have the band play at the agency and around town. However, word spread and requests for appearances began pouring in. Flame now averages over 90 paid performances per year -- at conventions, corporate conferences, civic events, school functions, dances, and private parties. Their song list contains over 100 classic-hit rock, country and blues songs from the past five decades.

Activities at The Arc’s celebration begin at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and entertainment at 7:30 p.m. Anyone interested in attending should contact The Arc at 535-6934 for ticket information by May 9.

• The Arc announces new opportunities- The Arc has received approval and funding to reorganize and reconfigure a number of our residential homes that support people with developmental disabilities. Through a program referred to as Options for People Through Services, we will be reducing the size of a number of our existing homes and opening four new homes for 4 to 5 people. As we met with the people we support and their families to talk about their hopes and dreams, a simple request for privacy and single bedrooms was an overwhelming desire on everyone’s part. So, The Arc and the people who will call these new places home are in the process of identifying properties where people would like to live in the Schuyler County community. We’ll keep you posted on this exciting project.
   

• Click on the title to view the latest edition of The Arc/National Down Syndrome Society publication, Monday Morning in Washington, DC. , the latest edition of Capitol Insider - a Weekly Newsletter of the Disability Policy Collaboration and the latest edition of Washington Watch.
   

Information of Interest

• May 2008  Recreation Calendar
   
• Schedule of holiday closings.
   
• Most current News Releases here.
   
• Coaches Needed to train Special Olympians!
   

• Follow this link for an National Public Radio (NPR) story on language and people with disabilities-

  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6943699

 

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Affiliations

 

 

To contact The Arc of Schuyler regarding specific questions or for assistance,
please e-mail us at: manager@arcofschuyler.org

You can also view our Staff e-mail directory

Copyright © 2001 The Arc of Schuyler. All Rights Reserved

The Arc of Schuyler
203 Twelfth Street
Watkins Glen, NY 14891
USA
Phone: (607) 535-6934
 

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