The Client Advisory Committee: Helping Hands Get Things Done

CAC members vote on everyday Arc SF policies

The Arc San Francisco has a mission to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by promoting self-determination, dignity, and opportunities for our clients’ voices to be heard. Nowhere else have I seen this better exemplified than during the weekly Client Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings.

Every Friday, two staff members and a dozen or so clients come together to create a positive change in the community. In many ways, this committee is like any other: They sit around a long table, use Robert's Rules of Order, and follow an agenda of topics that each member contributed to. What astounded me, however, was the drive and insatiable urge these clients had to change the world.

The first meeting I ever attended sported a wide variety of topics and issues. The agenda touched on everything from local Arc policy to city, state, and even nation-wide politics. They voted to choose the destination of the next Arc field trip, and five minutes later began organizing a rally and letter signing event to advocate for affordable housing, and funding for organizations like The Arc SF.

“I really like the CAC,” said Mimi, a recent addition to the group. “We get to discuss things that are very important: how the city runs and the government, and issues like how to clean our environment and help the homeless. We get our own voice and opinions out, and we can actually make a real difference.”

Mimi could not have been more right. Not only have these clients made noticeable impacts on their communities, but they continue to develop their own leadership and communication skills. These clients are ready to face and better the world, and together they are unstoppable!
by Valerie Cripe, The Arc SF intern from Westmont College

My Experience as the New Arc SF Intern

San Francisco has long called adventurers, artists, and escapists to its beautiful hills and streets. When my college offered the opportunity to spend a semester here and gain some work experience, I jumped at the chance, ready to face the big city. There was no way I could have foreseen the impact it would have on my life and my perceptions of the people around me.

I joined The Arc SF as an intern in January 2016 and my experience continues to amaze me in new ways everyday. The clients are such incredible people, each with their own passions and stories to tell. I work with several of them in classes and creative writing sessions, and the highlight of my week has become sitting down with each of them to learn about their lives, their struggles, plans and dreams. My own ideas of what disability is and the limits it can impose have been shattered repeatedly by the drive and intelligence shown by the clients here at The Arc.

After working here a mere two months, I hardly notice the disability. It has been overwhelmed by the very human reality that they are people, more like me than I had originally thought. Had I continued to let their disabilities define them, I would never have come to befriend Mira the writer, Clinton the traveler, or Shaun the comic artist. I may never have known Joyanne the bowling champion, Miyuki the chef, or Clifford the entertainer. My world is more diverse and colourful, and I am grateful to say, this is only the beginning.

A tutoring and creative writing session in progress.

The Arc San Francisco Kicks Off The Client Holiday Gift Card Drive December 1st

The Arc San Francisco invites you to join the holiday "Season of Promise" spirit by #GIVINGTUESDAY by purchasing Holiday Gift Cards for Arc Clients.

This campaign will run through December 17th. Gifts of $25 or more will purchase a Gift Card to Safeway, Target, Walgreen’s or Ross, and will be given to more than 200 clienst who might not otherwise receive a gift this holiday season. 

We invite supporters to donate by December 17th so gift cards can be distributed before the 25th. Clients will be shopping with their cards on December 18-24.

Click here to make an Arc Client's holiday wishes come true!

The Arc San Francisco Raises $270,000 at "Beyond Expectations" Arc Angel Breakfast Event

PR/Web 

San Francisco, California (November 9, 2015) -- More than 270 guests attended the 14th annual Arc Angel Breakfast on October 15th to highlight the achievements of Arc clients and the community that supports their success. The event raised over $270,000 and garnered more than 90 new donors who made gifts and multi-year pledges to help sustain and grow The Arc SF’s continuing education, employment, health care and independent living services.

Keynote speaker and Deloitte partner Rob Massey set the tone for the “Beyond Expectations” theme, highlighting the benefits of hiring Arc clients with developmental disabilities who ‘...consistently go above and beyond what’s expected of them in the workforce.’”

The program also debuted a powerful video, “Beyond Expectations,” featuring Arc clients’ personal stories of struggle and success.

“I’m so proud of our clients and grateful to our supporters who play a vital role in the success of our mission,” said Dr. Glenn Motola, CEO, The Arc San Francisco. “Together we are raising the bar on new opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities. Learning and growth should last a lifetime, and that’s what our adult education, internships, career preparation and health advocacy programs are designed to do, evolving as the needs and goals of our clients change.”

Event guests included a broad spectrum of supporters including California State Senator Mark Leno, San Francisco Supervisors Jane Kim and Scott Wiener, San Francisco City College Board Chair Rafael Mandelman and business leaders from Union Bank, AT&T, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Kaiser Permanente and the California Academy of Sciences.

The inspiring morning was part of a month-long spotlight on The Arc through fundraising and educational events and an awareness campaign featured on public transit throughout San Francisco.

 

ABOUT THE ARC SAN FRANCISCO
The Arc San Francisco is a learning and achievement center for over 750 individuals with developmental disabilities in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties. For over 60 years, The Arc has been recognized for its innovation in education and career programs as well as independent living services, health advocacy and a broad range of arts and recreation opportunities. The Arc supports individuals with autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities to meet the challenges of adulthood while achieving personal goals and lifelong success. Our affiliations with over 120 business, education and health partners enable us to provide successful internships and employment opportunities while offering a more diverse, enriching life experience for those we serve.

For more information, visit http://www.thearcsf.org

Fall 2015 Friends of The Arc E-Newsletter

Be sure to check out the Fall Friends of The Arc E-Newsletter!

Get all the latest information, including links to the Annual Report, our latest video, Beyond Expectations, photos of the Arc Angel Breakfast, SFO Ready Set Fly Training and more!

Work Begins On New Housing For The Disabled At Page & Masonic

Work Begins on New Housing for the Disabled at Page & Masonic 
Hoodline by Camden Avery

Nearly two years after we reported that the property at 1500 Page St. was going through city permitting to become a housing development for the developmentally disabled, work is finally ready to begin.

According to city permit records, the work—a $3.3 million conversion of the Page & Masonic building into 17 apartment units for disabled adults—was actually approved last summer. Long vacant, the building was formerly a 38-room residential hotel.

The new project is a joint undertaking by Mercy Housing and The ARC to provide low-income affordable housing for adults with developmental disabilities. The origins of this specific project dates back four years, to when it was awarded an initial capital funding grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As of October 27th, a start-work inspection was logged with the city to allow work to commence. Tim Dunn, a senior project manager for Mercy Housing, said that the work is expected to take a year, wrapping up sometime in October of 2016.

As to what the building will shape up to include, Dunn said, "there's going to be a big community room with a community kitchen, so that's going to be the primary focus of the activity programming."
He said the renovation would also include a garden on the west side of the property, and offices for the property and services managers.

Mercy Housing already has properties in the area: it's the existing operator of Mercy Terrace, the former Southern Pacific Hospital at 333 Baker St., and a Hayes Valley affordable housing development is also on the way.

Although 1500 Page St. (aka 1099 Masonic Ave.) isn't yet listed on Mercy's property registry, there does exist a rudimentary website with renderings of what the corner might look like post-construction. (Update, 3:45: this is apparently an outdated site—we'll update the story with current renderings when we have them.)

Signs on the building indicate that asbestos abatement is underway; contractor parking permits are valid for the next four months.

Thanks to Dave W. for the tip.
Hoodline san francisco neighborhood news

California Employment: "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" Edition

By Michael Bernick
Former California Employment Development Department Director and author, The Autism Job Club (2015, with R. Holden)

Wednesday, October 21st, 2015

Last Thursday we had the annual Arc Angel Breakfast at Clint Reilly's Merchants Exchange building in downtown San Francisco. Over 275 people from local businesses were in attendance, along with State Senator Mark Leno and San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, long-time friends of The Arc San Francisco. 

As with other recent Arc breakfasts, this one focused on increasing employment for adults with a range of physical and developmental differences. At The Arc, this still means some adults with physical differences: adults who are wheelchair users, hard of hearing, sight-impaired. In far greater numbers, though, today it means adults with neurological differences: adults with autism, Down syndrome and a range of other neurodiverse conditions.

Kristen Pedersen (left), the Director of Employment Services, described the increase in job placements over the past year: 298 Arc clients working. 120 business sites, placements with firms in tech, professional services, hospitality and education. Individual workers told their stories about finally finding steady jobs: a kitchen and conference room attendant at Salesforce, an office assistant at LinkedIn, a culinary assistant at a Marriott hotel.

Dr. Glenn Motola (above), Executive Director of The Arc , spoke of a new internship initiative. Arc clients need to get a foot in the door, gain work experience, build a resume. The Arc is asking San Francisco businesses to sponsor unpaid internships, to provide this work experience and resume-building.

Everyone left the event in a good mood. How could you not after seeing this video of the Arc clients talk about their lives and workplaces (here).

And what of the future? One of the themes of The Arc is independent living, and The Arc is involved in two housing partnerships with Mercy Housing. It is also looking to expand “Friends Like Me”, its social gatherings and cooking and drama classes, as well as its anti-bullying campaign. Most of all, though, there is the employment piece. Arc clients and their parents repeatedly tell Dr. Motola of their interest in mainstream employment, and he has made it his priority.

If there is a cautionary note going forward, it involves the workplace culture and general popular culture views of adults with differences, especially neurological or invisible differences. Deloitte has developed a partnership with The Arc, and a Deloitte manager spoke of the upbeat attitude that its two Arc employees bring to the Deloitte workplace in San Francisco. These employees are always positive; they make all the others feel better about the workplace and their missions. One hears this often about the values that workers with differences bring to the workplace, and also the greater loyalty and appreciation of workers with differences over other workers.

But this emphasis on the upbeat can obscure the behavioral and mental health challenges that workers with differences face in the workplace, as in life. A good number of the members of our adult autism group in the Bay Area have been able to find jobs, but have not kept them. They have trouble managing time, or hoarding food, or a hundred other mental health issues. They have their own issues that usually require patience and flexibility in the workplace for workplace success.

For decades, in popular culture—movies, television shows, and novels—adults with physical and neurological differences have served mainly as a means for other characters to solve their problems. Raymond Babbitt (“Rain Man”), Sam Dawson (“I am Sam”), Radio Kennedy (“Radio”) just to name a few, and their differences serve mainly as vehicles for other neurotypical characters to resolve their unhappiness or learn about themselves—just as John Singer, Boo Radley and others did in previous times. They aren’t shown as successfully addressing their own problems.

Dr. Motola is already at work on this. The Arc San Francisco is developing a clinical program, to help clients themselves address the mental health and behavioral challenges that can undermine workforce retention. It is the next needed stage in workforce inclusion.