1950s
The Arc U.S.
Parent groups throughout the country meet in Minneapolis, MN in 1950 to organize The Arc (originally the National Association of Parents and Friends of Retarded Children).
In 1953, The Arc becomes the first organization to put money into research on intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
By the mid-1950s, The Arc intensifies its advocacy for research and asks Congress for full support for an International Research Plan.
The Arc Lane County
Families want their children with I/DD living in their homes in lieu of institutions and educated at schools. Together, with Lisl Waechter, families incorporate The Arc Lane County and the Pearl Buck School in 1954.
1960s
The Arc U.S.
The Arc opens a Governmental Affairs (Public Policy) Office in Washington, D.C. in 1969.
The Arc is represented on the first President’s Panel on Mental Retardation (PPMR) formed in 1961.
The Arc’s advocacy with other national organizations results in the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.
The Arc helps expose the link between lead poisoning and harmful effects in infants and children.
The Arc Lane County
Throughout the 1960s, The Arc Lane County grows Pearl Buck and focuses on increasing capacity so the agency could meet the educational needs of children with I/DD who were barred from attending public schools.
1970s
The Arc U.S.
In 1972, The Arc advocates for the creation of the Supplemental Security Income program to provide income for persons with severe disabilities who have little or no income.
Large numbers of people begin to leave institutions as services for people with disabilities emerge within communities.
The Arc works to push for the establishment of the Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Amendments of 1970, and plays a key role in the passage of P.L. 94-142 in 1975 (precursor to IDEA) which guarantees a free and appropriate public education for all children with disabilities.
The Arc Lane County
Families unite through The Arc in 1970 to open Alvord Taylor, the first model program in the state to provide residential services to adults with disabilities outside the state-run institutions.
The Arc launches and leads Summer Challenge, a progressive wilderness program serving youth with and without disabilities.
The Arc Lane County opens one of the first programs to provide respite support to families in their homes.
1980s
The Arc U.S.
The Arc conducts a survey of state genetic screening programs. A listing of each state’s specific infant screening tests is developed and distributed to The Arc’s state and local chapters.
The Arc supports the passage of the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waiver in 1981.
In 1986, The Arc helps create the Supported Employment program within the Rehabilitation Act.
The Arc successfully pushes Congress to add disability as a protected class under the Fair Housing Act in 1988.
The Arc helps pass legislation to expand education services to infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
The Arc Lane County
The Arc advocates closing the Fairview Training Center, Oregon’s institution for people with disabilities.
Parents advocate strongly for the needs of respite services. The Arc expands its respite program to provide a center-based option to families during the summer months and on Saturdays.
The Arc conducts an assessment to identify the supports people will need to live in community rather than state institutions and nursing homes.
Based on the needs assessment, the Arc opens:
Full Potential, a program focused on providing residential services to adults with disabilities in residential homes in small groups (five people or less).
McNair House, a group home that provided support to individuals with I/DD and physical disabilities who were previously relegated to live in nursing homes.
Opportunities and Programming for People with Intensive Needs, one of the first programs outside the institution to provide residential services to children who experience an intellectual disability and challenging behaviors.
1990s
The Arc U.S.
The Arc receives a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to implement a project to educate The Arc community about the ethical, legal, and social implications of the Human Genome Project.
The Arc receives a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the development and dissemination of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Resource and Materials Guide.
In 1990, The Arc is a leader among national disability groups to advocate for the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Arc Lane County
The Arc leads Parent Access, a program funded by the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, to provide parent training and in-home support to parents with cognitive disabilities whose children were at risk of abuse and neglect.
The Arc helps advocate for the Home of Your Own Program, the first program in the state that promoted self-sufficiency for people with I/DD by increasing access to affordable housing, including home ownership.
The Arc champions eliminating waitlists for people with I/DD and for people to have access to universal support.
Parents advocate for after-school respite support, and The Arc Lane County opens a respite program that offers teens with I/DD the opportunity to engage in similar events and activities as their typically developing peers.
The Arc opens Stepping Out, a program that provided community recreation to adults with significant support needs who did not want to attend a sheltered workshop.
2000s
The Arc U.S.
The Arc participates in the drafting of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is adopted in 2006.
The Arc wins expanded provisions in the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the 2008 Higher Education Act that will help students move from public schooling to higher education, employment, and adult life.
In 2008, The Arc, in collaboration with the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, publishes National Goals and Research for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
The Arc Lane County
The Fairview Training Center officially closes on March 1, 2000. Over the course of its existence, Fairview housed nearly 10,000 people with I/DD who were referred to as “inmates”. More than 2,600 Fairview residents experienced forced sterilizations.
Brokerages are created to eliminate waitlists. The Arc helps create the Full Access Brokerage in 2002, a non-profit established under Medicaid Waivered services to ensure people with I/DD have support services.
2010s
The Arc U.S.
The Arc works with other organizations to support passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, which expanded access to affordable and comprehensive health coverage.
The Arc supports passage of Rosa’s Law in 2010, which replaces the outdated term “mental retardation” with intellectual disability in federal health, education, and labor policy.
The Arc supports passage of the ABLE Act in 2014 which creates tax-advantaged savings accounts for individuals with disabilities which are exempt from means-testing in federal programs.
In 2017, The Arc is instrumental in defeating attempts by Congress to block grant and cap Medicaid, a change in the structure of the program that would have had great impact on the lives of people with disabilities.
The Arc Lane County
Oregon adopts Employment First Policy in 2013, which prioritizes integrated employment for people with I/DD. The Arc organizes and facilitates a local Employment First team dedicated to community-based employment.
The Arc continues to expand programs to support children and youth with disabilities after school and in the summer. JumpStart serves children 5-12 years, while ESTEAM supports youth 13 years and older in learning engineering, science, technology, art and math.
As part of the Affordable Care Act, Oregon adopts the Medicaid State Plan in 2013 to access federal money and bring more services to eligible Oregonians with I/DD through the K Plan.
The Arc launches a program to help recruit and hire direct support professionals (DSPs) and match them with children, youth and adults with I/DD to provide home and community-based supports.
The Arc launches a program to help recruit and hire direct support professionals (DSPs) and match them with children, youth and adults with I/DD to provide home and community-based supports.
The Arc continues to expand programs to support children and youth with disabilities after school and in the summer. JumpStart serves children 5-12 years, while ESTEAM supports youth 13 years and older in learning engineering, science, technology, art and math.
2020s
The Arc Lane County
As COVID is declared a worldwide pandemic in 2020, The Arc adapts to safely support people with I/DD and their families during stressful and lonely periods of isolation.
In September 2020, The Arc publishes Dreams Without Limits: Changing Perceptions about People with Disabilities to showcase what people with disabilities can dream and achieve.
In October 2020, The Arc opens the CARES Center to help people with disabilities and people in the greater community access food and wraparound supports during the COVID pandemic and wildfires.
The Arc revamps JumpStart and opens JumpStart Preschool in 2021, an inclusive preschool that welcomes children with and without disabilities to learn alongside one another in a safe, nurturing environment.
The Arc breaks ground on the first phase of the Arc Park in December 2021, an accessible and inclusive park that will welcome children and youth of all ages and abilities. The Arc also launches a television campaign to raise awareness about the park.
The first phase of the Arc Park, which includes the Comcast Amphitheater and the community gathering space, opens in 2022. Construction begins on the sensory garden and accessible restroom.
JumpStart Preschool becomes a Preschool Promise site in 2022, which provides free, high-quality preschool to children whose families are living at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
In collaboration with multiple community partners, The Arc Lane County launches Strength in Neurodiversity, a campaign to create a more welcoming community where neurodivergence and disability are recognized and celebrated.
The Arc Lane County is an affiliate chapter of The Arc U.S. and The Arc Oregon.
