We build inclusive communities for all by providing support, education and advocacy to people with developmental disabilities and their families. We serve the counties of Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Olmsted, Rice, Wabasha, and Winona.

Description:
Advocacy is one of our most important services. Arc is the only agency that looks at a person’s entire life—from pre-birth to post-death, from education to employment, from family home to residential living, from specialized recreation to inclusive socialization.

History:
In the 1950s, when a mother gave birth to a child with a disability, she was told to "take the child home and love him/her" or place the child in a state hospital and forget that you had him/her. The implication was that the child did not belong in society. Indeed, many children with disabilities were sent to State Hospitals where they were "warehoused".

Some insightful parents saw this injustice and founded A.R.C. - The Association for Retarded Children. These parents were the first advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. Over the years the name has changed from ARC - The Association for Retarded Children to The Association for Retarded Citizens and finally to: The Arc - an agency providing support, education, and advocacy to persons with developmental disabilities and their families.

Contact person: Betty Koehler, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (507) 287-2089

Address:

2200 2nd Street SW, Suite 101 Rochester, MN 55902 This location is handicap accessible (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.arcse-mn.org