Developmental Disabilities

Press Release:

That was the message from Arc GLOW and over 900 advocates, allies and professionals during the 2025 Disability Policy Seminar in Washington D.C. to support the intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) community.

“For me, Medicaid provides my home, transportation, staff, medication and doctors. … Because of my Medicaid, I attended a college experience program at SUNY Geneseo,” said Julie Johnston, an Arc GLOW self-advocate, during a meeting with staff from Sen. Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s offices. “I learned so much, and gained so many skills. I now have a job at SUNY Geneseo washing dishes. If Medicaid is cut, I would lose my house, my job and my independence.”

“Going to Washington was an opportunity of a lifetime,” said James Gibbs, an Arc GLOW self-advocate. “We talked about the importance of Medicaid. I liked advocating and I felt like they were listening to me when I spoke.”

Arc GLOW representatives including Vice President of Public Relations Lisa Bors, Vice President of Day and Employment Services Kellie Kennedy, Board of Directors President Cheryl Englert, Direct Support Professional Gabby Root, and Self-Advocates James Gibbs and Julie Johnston met with representatives from Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney to advocate for continued federal support to the IDD community.

“We are pushing lawmakers on Medicaid, education and disability funding,” said Bors. “We need to keep pushing the federal government to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.” 

Arc GLOW is asking community members to contact local representatives now to tell them:

• Reject any effort to block grant, cap or cut federal spending in Medicaid.
• Oppose work requirements in the Medicaid program.
• Congress should reject any cuts to Social Security or SSI, including any proposals to cut benefits or limit who can qualify.
• Fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
• Oppose laws that reduce the rights of children with disabilities to secure a free, appropriate public education.
• Ensure that students with disabilities in higher education receive the accommodations that they need.
• Pass budget and appropriations laws that provide funding to support people with disabilities in the community.

Each call and message can make a difference. On Wednesday, 12 Republican Congressional representatives sent Speaker Mike Johnson a formal letter opposing any cuts to Medicaid including for people with disabilities; four of the 12 members were New York representatives.

Submitted photos.

Encompass Genesee is a Corfu-based, nonprofit organization whose mission it is to provide social activities and employment training for people with developmental disabilities.

They will hold their debut get-together event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Kiwanis Park in the Town of Batavia. Food will be provided!

All are invited to come out and enjoy an evening of fun making new friends.

Attendees will get a chance to win a $50 Visa Gift Card!

Kiwanis Park is located at 3808 W. Main Street Road.

Press release:

The Arc of Genesee Orleans will again be presenting an Art Show & Film Festival in celebration of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

It will be held Saturday, March 17 at the GCC Stuart Steiner Theatre located on 1 College Drive, Batavia.

There will be a collection of artwork created by individuals served at the Arc of Genesee Orleans on display in the foyer at Stuart Steiner Theatre. You will have an opportunity to meet and talk with the artists from 12:30 to 1 p.m. and the Sprout film screening will begin at 1 o'clock.

You can enter to win a beautiful framed work of art courtesy of an artist served by the Arc of Genesee Orleans. Admission is free.

For more informatiom, contact Shelley Falitico at 343-4203 or visit arcgo.org

Joshua Derrick speaks Thursday evening during a forum at GCC on how best to protect the rights of people with disabilities and how better to assist them in the communities where they live.

The forum was hosted by Assemblyman Steve Hawley and is part of a series of nine forums around the state conducted by the Minority Task Force on Protecting the Rights of People with Developmental Disabilities.

The forum focused on improving ways to support the rights of people with developmental disabilities, expansion of community-based care programs, the effectiveness of current transition plans for people in sheltered workshops and identifying whether the input and desires of people with disabilities are being appropriately considered.

"Information gathered at the forum will help us to better serve the needs and choices of people with developmental disabilities," Hawley said. "For many, the transition process to a more integrated work setting has resulted in frustrations and disappointing changes in services and care programs. New York must do a better job of assessing and meeting the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities."

Also attending the form were Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch and Assemblyman Bill Nojay.

Press release:

The impact of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Olmstead v. L.C. continues to generate concerns from family members, caregivers, community organizations and individuals with developmental disabilities throughout the transition process into more integrated work settings.

As a result, the Assembly Minority Task Force on Protecting the Rights of People with Developmental Disabilities has been created to evaluate the effectiveness of current transition plans for those in sheltered workshops, developmental centers, and community homes and to ensure that the input and desires of people with developmental disabilities are being considered.

The task force will be hosting regional forums across the state in an effort to better address the current transition plans and other important issues facing individuals with disabilities and their families.

The ninth event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, at the Genesee Community College, Best Center Room T-119, 1 College Road, Batavia.

“Individuals with developmental disabilities, their families and caregivers, and mental health professionals have expressed serious concerns with recent closures of sheltered workshops across the state. The feedback has highlighted the problem with the state’s ‘one-size fits all’ approach that has failed on many levels,” said Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia).

“Listening to stakeholders’ experiences and stories at the forum will allow us as legislators to understand how we can better protect the rights of those with developmental disabilities.”

Representatives from non-profit organizations and facilities, community leaders and mental health experts have been invited to attend and provide testimony. The task force is also encouraging individuals with disabilities and their families to share their firsthand experiences as a result of the Olmstead Decision.

“A concerted, statewide effort to improve services for those with developmental disabilities is the only way to make certain every New Yorker is fairly represented,” said Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch (R-Bainbridge), task force chairman.

“No New Yorker should be marginalized, and it is our job to make sure that never happens. Together, we will address the concerns of those with developmental disabilities and aggressively tackle those concerns head on.”

For more information on the task force, please contact the Assembly Minority Office of Public Affairs at 518-455-5073.