Currently, The Arc is addressing the crisis of state waiting lists for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on both the local and state levels.  The Arc is waging a campaign to provide much needed quality home and community based long term supports and services to persons with disabilities and their families.

The Arc believes that individuals and families should not have to experience the loss of a parent, a medical emergency or other tragic events to become eligible for the services they need.  Moreover, the countless others who have either not sought services, are in states that do not provide services or maintain waiting lists, or have simply given up seeking assistance must also have a voice.

The overall current situation is worsened due to the increasing numbers of individuals who are left ineffectively served.  Experts believe that at least one million Americans with disabilities are living at home with a caregiver who is over the age of 65.  Indeed, systems vary from state to state and there is no roadmap for how states organize information on services and those who are in need of them. 

The Arc is committed to advocating for parents who have kept an adult family member at home over the years as they are also detrimentally affected by waiting lists.  They are deeply vested in what will happen to their son or daughter after they die, but because of long waiting lists for existing services, have difficulty developing thoughtful future plans.