In 2004, at the age of 40, Carole was overjoyed to be pregnant for the first time. Although she understood the potential risks, prenatal testing was never something she considered. This was her child, and she embraced whatever the future would bring. When Evan was born with Down syndrome, Carole continued forward exactly as she…
The Arc of Indiana took a chance and hired me as their front desk coordinator. I was a team member from April 2014 to April 2019. I had been out of the administrative field for 4 years and was seeking with all my heart to find something. The Arc came along and gave me a…
When Abby entered the world, not many people gave her a chance. Born at 29 weeks, one of triplets, she battled the challenges of both prematurity and a heart defect, something common in babies with Down syndrome. One doctor said if she survived, she’d be a “vegetable.” This wasn’t the 1950s – it was 2003.…
Ilene Younger Qualkinbush, the “founding mother” of The Arc of Indiana, passed away on May 14, 2020 at the age of 93. Inspired by her daughter Susan, who was born with severe developmental disabilities, Ilene helped establish The Arc of Indiana in 1956. Along with her friend and colleague, Dorothy Burnside, Ilene served as the…
Many years ago, during one of our more trying days at the Indiana General Assembly, I made the trip to Rushville to speak at the Rush County Arc annual dinner. I must admit on that day I was weary, feeling the weight of the people who did not believe in what we were trying to…