John Anton, former Chair of MASS (Mass Advocates Standing Strong) and active with the Mass. Down Syndrome Congress, The Arc of Greater Haverhill and Newburyport and other groups is featured in a story about Down Syndrome.  
 
Click here to read more.  

The House and Senate Ways and Means Committees are holding joint budget hearings.  The main public hearing for our comments and statement of priorities is on March 9 at Gardner Auditorium. However there are usually opportunities to share your testimony at the end of the hearings where officials such as Commissioner Howe testify on their agency budgets.  February 22 (Medicaid) and February 22 (DDS, MRC, etc.) in Fitchburg are two such examples. Go here to see the schedule.

Washington, DC – On Friday, February 10, 150 leaders of The Arc from across the country met with a variety of senior White House officials at a Community Leaders Briefing to ask questions and discuss issues facing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) (for Massachusetts attendees please see list below which includes towns). The session, held just for The Arc, included an unannounced visit from President Barack Obama. The President spoke of his commitment to people with disabilities saying, “I’ve got your back.”    Read on to see comments from the other speakers and pictures from the event.  Speakers included the Chief of Staff, Domestic Policy Director and the Attorney General’s leader on Civil Rights enforcement.  To see video of part of the day, go here. 

Read More Here.

Washington, DC – This week, five leaders of The Arc from Massachusetts will join 150 leaders of The Arc from across the country to attend a White House Community Leaders Briefing.   Over the course of the day, leaders of chapters of The Arc, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), will be briefed by high level White House and Administration officials on topics ranging from Medicaid to education to community living and employment for people with I/DD, and have the chance to engage with and ask questions of these officials.  This day-long briefing is specifically for The Arc’s network, and comes just weeks before Developmental Disabilities Awareness month, which is in March and will be marked with efforts across the country to raise awareness of issues facing people with disabilities.