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<br />The project is part of a larger effort by Arc to serve children <br />and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. <br />Arc Anoka, Ramsey and Suburban is an advocacy organization <br />consisting of people with developmental disabilities, parents, <br />professionals and concerned citizens of the communities we serve. <br />The agency has a membership of over 1,600 and serves over 16,000 <br />people yearly. Arc is committed to building inclusive <br />communities and providing advocacy and support for people with <br />developmental disabilities and their families. Developmental <br />disabilities include conditions such as Autism; Cerebral Palsy; <br />Epilepsy; Metal Retardation and other related conditions. <br /> <br />Arc is a nationwide disability rights organization with the major <br />focus at the local or grassroots level. There are approximately <br />1600 local chapters generally organized by county. The Arc Anoka <br />and Arc Ramsey Boards voted to pursue a merger of the two <br />agencies. After further study and communication with members, <br />the Boards and members approved a merger February 27, 1995. <br />After a similar process the Boards and members voted to merge Arc <br />Suburban into the Arc of Anoka and Ramsey Counties effective <br />January 1, 2000. A key component of the merger agreement was to <br />maintain offices in each county or area and continue to provide <br />quality services for members in each community. <br /> <br />Arc provides a variety of services for people in Ramsey and Anoka <br />counties including: <br /> <br />Family Services - The goal of this program is to empower parents <br />and guardians by providing them with opportunities to network <br />with other parents to reduce feelings of stress and isolation, <br />and to gain skills and information needed to parent their child <br />with a disability. This is accomplished through: support groups; <br />Pilot Parent network linking parents "who have been there" with <br />parents experiencing crisis or emotional stress; information and <br />referral; individual consultation; individual advocacy and <br />conflict resolution. <br /> <br />Community Awareness and Planning - The goal of this program is to <br />increase the awareness of community members regarding <br />disabilities and the lives of people with disabilities and to <br />help communities welcome and include people with disabilities and <br />prevent discrimination. Services include: consultation with <br />schools and other community agencies on including people with <br />developmental disabilities; presentations to school children and <br />community groups on developmental disabilities; membership on <br />local and state advisory and planning committees to insure <br />policies are supportive of families and people with disabilities; <br />public awareness events; volunteer speaker's bureau; monitoring <br />public policy. <br /> <br />6 <br />