Wilson celebrates 30 years with The Arc
 

WATKINS GLEN - A passion for civil rights that started in the 1960s has turned into 30 years of working for the advance­ment of people with disabilities for one Schuyler County man. Jim Wilson, executive director of The Arc of Schuyler, is celebrating 30 years of service. Along with Wilson, 2008 marks the 30 year anniversary of the establishment of The Arc.

The Arc of Schuyler provides services for over 300 people with some disabilities in the area daily. Along with the care that it provides, The Arc is one of the largest private sector employers in Schuyler County, providing jobs for more than 150 people.

Wilson's passion for helping people started in the 1960s during the march from Selma to Montgomery. Wilson said that he went into the deep south for that event, from a college in New Hampshire after being moved from what he had seen through the media coverage. "There was a group of us in college that felt after seeing what we had that we had to go down and help do something. That is what really sparked something inside of me." Wilson spent two weeks with the protesters in Selma, at which time he acquired pneumonia and returned home.

Although Wilson was not one of the founding members of The Arc of Schuyler, he remem­bers a time when things were not as they are for                     

people with mental or physical challenges. "We have come such a long away from what it was 20 to 30 years ago," said Wilson while discussing the advancements that have been made. "The best part of my job is seeing the growth and achievements of the indi­viduals that come through this facility. The smiles that you see, the people you help is a wonderful thing," said Wilson. "When I started, we would tend to think we knew what the per­son with the disability wanted. Now, we are more conscious that the people that we work with are able to make deci­sions, and we look .forward to receive their input, providing person centered care."

    "A terrific example of this is our community residence rightsizing effort, an idea borne of Options for People through Services," said Wilson. Cur­rently, The Arc of Schuyler has several residential facilities within the county to provide housing for those with disabili­ties. Wilson added that The Arc is moving forward to expand those services, by providing facilities that have more priva­cy for the residents, including adding more private bedrooms and bathrooms, as requested by families and residents of the current facilities. "Thirty years ago, people were being placed in institutions where they would live with large groups of other people. Now, although there are still a few Institutions in New York State, we have ba­sically eliminated this and pro-vide more private facilities for the people that we serve," said Wilson.

 Wilson came to Watkins Glen from New York City and is ac­tive in many facets of the Schuy­ler County community, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Schuyler County Leadership advisory board, the League of Women Voters, as well as many others. He is not only involved with local organizations, but is also working with the county on the upcoming county trans­portation system that will pro­vide transportation between Watkins Glen, Elmira and Ithaca.

 Although Wilson has now ac­complished the 30 year mark, he has said that he has not con­sidered retiring. "I believe that you can go on as long as you have the passion to do what you are doing," said Wilson.