The Arc of Peninsula
Peninsula Executive Lifestyle magazine described The Arc of Peninsula as a leader in providing education to the greater community, and “being about dedicated people offering real solutions. On my visit to this chapter, I had the opportunity to see first-hand how this chapter’s positive “can-do” attitude is creating “A Life Like Yours” for individuals with developmental disabilities in the Virginia Peninsula region. Over lunch at The Arc of Peninsula office, Executive Director Kasia Grzelkowski and her creative management team shared with me the many ways this chapter is serving people with developmental disabilities and their families in their community across the lifespan.
The Arc of Peninsula was created in 1953 by a group of parents who were concerned about the lack of community-based opportunities available to children and adults with developmental disabilities. Beginning with the creation of educational opportunities, The Arc of Peninsula’s efforts went on to focus on creating opportunities for community integration through starting group homes, early intervention services, day programs, and employment. Today, The Arc of Peninsula serves the localities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, York County and 10 rural counties on the Middle Peninsula/Northern Neck. Employing over 350 people with disabilities directly and facilitating employment for 90 individuals paid directly by community businesses, The Arc of Peninsula has helped people with disabilities in the Tidewater region earn over $9.4 million in wages!
Children’s Services Director Julie Palmer shared with me how the of Early Intervention and Prevention for Children (EPIC) program starts at the beginning of the lifespan by serving over 850 children with developmental delays between the ages of 0-3. Through providing support, education, and training to these young families, the EPIC program helps parents access an array of services needed to assist in helping children meet their full potential. Services provided directly by The Arc of Peninsula include free developmental screenings, service facilitation, Individualized Family Service Planning, parent support groups, play groups and referrals for Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Therapy, and behavioral intervention support.
The Arc of Peninsula also offers an array of community-based employment and day support options, seeking to promote choice and engagement in community experiences across the lifespan. These services include industrial contracting, specialized services to businesses, supported employment and job placement, day support, and a computer disassembly and recycling program.
Warren, a supervisor of the Supported Employment program, shared how The Arc of Peninsula has been providing this service for 20 years, beginning at a time when competitive employment was considered “cutting edge” in service provision. Since then, the program has expended to serve over 95 individuals with disabilities, with the highest salary being more than $31,000. Through supported employment services, individuals with developmental disabilities are empowered to obtain employment at local businesses such as Wal-Mart, Pizza Hut, Tabb Library, Chick Fil-A, Burlington Coat Factory, the SPCA, the PX, and Food Lion-just to name a few. The Arc of Peninsula also provides opportunities for transition to work, which helps high school students with developmental disabilities access and learn more about competitive employment in preparation for life after graduation. The Arc of Peninsula coaches these students in work opportunities 2-days per week, with programs individualized to meet each student’s unique needs.
In 2005, The Arc of Peninsula moved to their new headquarters in Copeland Industrial Park, where the industrial services program is located. The industrial services program employs over 200 people with developmental disabilities. The Arc of Peninsula contracts services with companies including ALCOA, Rich Earth, NASA, Carlson Craft, and Solot Galaxy of Gifts. One of the most exciting projects is a new partnership around an innovative product called TheraGauze. TheraGauze is a new moist wound-care dressing that greatly enhances healing for ailments such as foot ulcers due to Diabetes, burns, pressure sores, and amputations. In a highly publicized event, The Arc of Peninsula and TheraGauze recently announced that the Industrial Services program has received a contract for the production of TheraGauze!
Government contracts are also an integral part of this program, accounting for 39% of the program’s revenue and helping to employ 184 contract employees. Partnerships include entities such as the Navy, Marines, Army, DeCa, Air Force, Veterans Administration, Department of Transportation, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Utilizing the military sector that accounts for much of the region’s employment, The Arc of Peninsula also helps individuals with developmental disabilities obtain employment at local military bases through providing supported employment to individuals working at Langley Air Force Base, Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, Cheatham Naval Annex Gallery, and James River Reserve Fleet.
Helping individuals with developmental disabilities access community-based employment in the growing field of Information Technology, The Arc of Peninsula has partnered with Planet Recycling to provide employment through a program involving the disassembly and recycling of used computers. Through the program, individuals with developmental disabilities gain experience disassembling used computers and wages are earned from profits of the parts being sold. Warren pointed out that the program has been especially of interest to students in the transition program, whose generation is one that relies heavily on computers and these employees have found their IT experience to be helpful in workplace and school integration. Warren shared one example of a young woman who was a student and entered a regional computer disassembly competition for students with and without disabilities! Giving everyone a lesson in ABILITY, rather than disability, the young woman placed in this competition after being one the quickest to disassemble the computer!
The Envisions Day Support program helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities access the community through recreational, volunteer, and educational activities, while also facilitating the development of relationships and friendships along the way. Direct-care staff regularly go through the local newspaper pointing out community-based opportunities for volunteer work, recreation, physical fitness, and lifelong learning. After learning more about the possibilities for the week’s agenda, participants choose how they will be spending their time. Examples may include a visit to a craft expo, volunteering at a local hospital, going on a cruise, or working out at a local gym. “We take them anywhere and everywhere that we would like to go so that they have the opportunity to enjoy life just like everyone else”, said the Envisions Program Manager, who also pointed out that these community based opportunities help to develop relationships and friendships-which are central to “A Life Like Yours”.
Kendra, whose specialty is health promotion and wellness said that “The part of ‘A Life Like Mine’ that I choose to share is the fun aspect of life”. Kendra works to create opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities to experience healthy lifestyles and meaningful relationships, through facilitating activities such as swimming and working out at the YMCA. Kasia shared that this new program was made possible through a three year grant that the chapter received, which not only helps provide staff support but also pays for adaptive equipment to help facilitate participation in these activities.
Kasia then went on to describe The Arc of Peninsula’s residential services, which are provided to over 50 individuals with developmental disabilities through four small ICF/MR group homes and five Medicaid Waiver group homes. Three of the homes are funded through HUD Section 811 funds. “Any one of us would be proud to have a family member living in one of these group homes”, Kasia said, describing the individualized nature of each residence which stays true to the feeling of “home” that each of us enjoy so much. Continuing the tradition of creating the opportunity of accessing services where none exist, The Arc of Peninsula is working to extend opportunities to the Glouster area where residential services are very much needed.
After this wonderfully informative meeting, I joined Kasia and Director of Marketing and Development Sarah Sager for a tour of The Arc of Peninsula’s new offices and production services. The Arc’s employees couldn’t have been welcoming, sharing with me the “nuts and bolts” of their many contract services. On the tour, the chapter’s commitment to providing opportunities for employment while also doing their part to improve the environment shined through, as I learned about the many everyday items that can be reused and recycled. I also had the opportunity to see the “Galaxy of Gifts”, a cooperative program with Gifts-in-Kind International, the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula, and NASA alumni. Through a national network, manufacturers such as Hallmark, Avon, Gillette, and Nine West donate inventory that are made available to local non-profits at a very small fee. The program is housed in The Arc of Peninsula and employees of The Arc of Peninsula facilitate its operations.
Many thanks to Kasia and her team at The Arc of Peninsula for taking so much time out of your day to share with me how your chapter is creating “A Life Like Yours” in so many ways! I look forward to returning for your ribbon-cutting ceremony in September!
