About the Ozaukee County Arc

Introduction

The Arc of the United States has been one of, if not the leader, in many of the gains for people with developmental disabilities in the past 50 years. Their advocacy efforts have created the service system that now exists. Recent major examples of the efforts of the Arc on a national level include:

American with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is the law that requires public spaces to accommodate the disabled.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This is the law that mandates that children be given the same educational opportunities as other children.
Olmstead Decision. This is the Supreme Court decision that challenges government to develop more opportunities for people with disabilities through more accessible systems of cost-effective community-based services.

On a local level, the Ozaukee County Arc (OCArc) has been effective in advocating for, and in many cases providing, community-based services for people with developmental disabilities. The OCArc owns two homes in Port Washington that are designed to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. The OCArc is also a major sponsor of organizations that support individuals with disabilities and their families. These organizations provide a variety of community-based services including recreational, employment, group and independent living, and life skills assistance for Ozaukee County persons with disabilities.

History

The Arc of the United States was founded in 1950. The Ozaukee County Arc (OCArc) has been active since the early 1960s. The services for disabled citizens that we often take for granted were non-existent when the OCArc was formed. The first program that the OCArc started was a special education program for the moderate to severely retarded children of the county. Next came the rehabilitation facility now known as Portal Industries, Inc. This started as a sheltered workshop in an old school in Knellsville. The first group homes in the county were OCArc projects. The county now funds and supervises these services, but the OCArc demonstrated the needs and provided the impetus to get them started. Since its formation, it has been advocating for the rights and benefits, and enriching the lives of the developmentally disabled in our community.

Structure / Committees

In addition to the Board of Directors and the membership-at-large, the Ozaukee County Arc has the following committees:

Membership / Public Relations Committee - To find ways to attract new members and retain existing members by discovering the needs of the community and helping to meet these needs.
Education Committee - This committee is charged with organizing speakers and other educational opportunities for current and future Arc members and other advocates who care about people with disabilities. Input from others about relevant topics is welcomed.
Scholarship Committee - To review the candidates and reward the Mary Bowens Scholarship to a deserving and qualified student who will have a career in educating individuals with developmental disabilities.
Finance / Budget Committee
Web Committee - Implements and maintains relevant and timely information for anyone interested via the OCArc website.
Banquet Committe
Nomination Committee - This is a temporary committee that is formed each year to recruit nominees for any open positions on the Board of Directors.

We welcome volunteers from the membership to join any of these committees! Contact the OCArc for more information.

Board of Directors

2009 OCArc Officers:

President - Cindy Helm
Vice President - Karen Nadolski
Secretary - Laurie Williams
Treasurer - Duane Nadolski
Director - Marjorie Kreienbrink
Director - Ray Cary
Past President - Lou Skibicki