October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month — a time to celebrate the talents, aspirations, and dignity of people with disabilities in the workforce. Across Indiana, individuals with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other challenges are ready, eager, and highly capable of meaningful work — if we as a society continue to clear away…
Advocacy
Your Story Has Power: How Advocacy Begins in the Everyday Moments We Dare to Speak Up
I didn’t set out to be an advocate. I was just a mom trying to get my son what he needed—a quiet place to regroup, a teacher who understood, a little more time to get from here to there. But what started as a conversation turned into a calling. Because every time I spoke up,…
It’s Off to Work I Go – Family Advocate Mike Dunn
Mike Dunn’s Story – Since I was young, I have always had a desire to be as independent as I possibly can be. As I approached adulthood, I had a strong desire to work. I am reminded of the song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, “Hi ho hi ho, it’s off to work…
Remembering Ilene Younger Qualkinbush – Our Founding Mother
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…
In Difficult Times, Remembering a Founder’s Words
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…