January 25, 2018

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced forthcoming changes to the Facebook news feed . Friends and family will be given immediate

priority, with businesses and organizations receiving less visibility in your feed. If you've liked The Arc of Massachusetts official Facebook page, please consider selecting the option

 "See First" on the "Following" drop down menu on our page. This will ensure that we're still reaching you with the latest news from The Arc. To further keep in touch, please follow us on Twitter, @TheArcofMass.

In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing the stories of

our six inspiring achievers with you. Stay tuned for more details!

MDDC and The Arc of Massachusetts present
Honoring 40 Years of Success: Facing an Uncertain Future
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Great Hall, Massachusetts State House

You are invited to attend our annual legislative reception on March 7. This is an ideal opportunity for persons with disabilities, family members, advocates, state agency heads and their staff, and legislators to interact and catch up on legislative priorities and other important issues.

 

Invited guests include Governor Charlie Baker, State Senators and Representatives, State Cabinet Secretaries and Commissioners.  Please do set up appointments with your legislators in advance and encourage them to attend the legislative reception.

Registration is now open. You can also register to co-sponsor the reception.

The reception will be emceed by Lauren Beckham Falcone.

Lauren Beckham Falcone is an on-air personality ("LBF") on WROR 105.7 FM's "Loren and Wally Morning Show." Before chatting about current events on the airwaves, she wrote about them for 17 years for the Boston Herald, where she was an award-winning reporter and columnist.  Falcone is an honorary board member of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress and a graduate of the MA Families Organizing for Change Family Leadership series. She lives in Canton with her husband, Dave, and their daughter, Lucy.

Monday, February 26, 2018 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM

Presented by Maura Sullivan and Julie Heffernan

The Advanced Training will focus on: building and strengthening relationships with your elected officials; c ritical strategic planning and the budget; t elling your story; m easuring your effectiveness and success; i dentifying and understanding obstacles.

Presented by The Arc of Massachusetts: Maura Sullivan, Director of Government Affairs and Program Director of Operation House Call and Julie Heffernan, Advocacy Alliance Coordinator. Register for this FREE webinar today!

On January 24, Operation House Call (OHC) had a great evening with Simmons Graduate Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Nutrition students. 140 students filled the lecture hall to hear Program Director Maura Sullivan and parent instructor Ann Bersani teach the OHC course. Next, students spent an hour with a wonderful panel for an open question and answer session. The panel included: Sue Loring, RN and parent; Mark Corr, Police Chief and parent; Isaiah Lombardo, co-teacher and self advocate; and Gillian Buckley, Simmons student and sibling.

All 140 students will make a 2 hour home visit to an OHC host family who have a child/children or an adult family member with autism or intellectual/developmental disability and then write about their OHC experience in our OHC privacy protected forum. The students are also given access to rich resources and parent instructor support.

To learn more about OHC, contact Maura Sullivan at sullivan@arcmass.org.

We're less than a month away from Supporting Families Day at the Massachusetts State House on Tuesday, February 13, 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM. Advocacy efforts are underway and we need your help  to make an impact on the 2018 and 2019 DDS, MRC, and other budgets.

If you can't make it, share your stories about your loved one and/or yourself, the caregiver, by completing this easy survey we have put together.

These stories give legislators a window into the lives of your loved ones  and the challenges your family faces, as well as concrete information about the types of supports that make a difference.  These personal accounts are the most compelling way  to advocate for needed services and supports.

The Arc of Massachusetts  | (781) 891-6270 |  thearcofmass.org