The Arc@School

Is special education confusing?

The Arc@School is an online self-paced resource to assist anyone supporting a child with IDD.  Topics include:

advocacy skills training
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and 504s
Procedural safeguards and more

If you support a child with IDD, please click the link below and to learn more.  Use the promo code thearc2688, and receive a $5, thanks to our partnership with The Arc of US.

Families

Learn to advocate for the services and supports your child needs.

Educators and Service Providers

Understand legal requirements to support students with IDD.
Get the information to better serve students with IDD and build relationships with families.

Curriculum Components

The Arc@School’s Advocacy Curriculum includes eight self-paced modules. Each module is about an hour long and includes:

a pre-test and post-test
a listening guide
narrated videos
additional resources

What do I get once completed?

Once you completed the entire curriculum, you will receive a certificate of completion and online access to the materials. Please note that the certificate of completion does not guarantee earning continuing education credits, as every state, school district, and professional organization has its own requirements.

Contact your state education agency, local school district, or professional organization to determine whether the curriculum will be accepted as professional development.

Need more information?

Click here to check out the brochure

Supported Decision Making- SDM

Supported decision-making is a tool that can be used in place of, or in addition to a guardianship. Supported decision-making places the person with a disability’s preferences and decisions at the center of the process. The person with the disability choses a team of individuals around them to assist them when making critical life decisions. These supporters provide information and perspectives, while respecting that ultimately, the choice is in the hands of the person with disabilities.

Supported Decision-Making Resources:

Digital Literacy

The Arc of US, The Arc of San Francisco, and AT&T brings essential digital skills training to individuals with IDD and their families. In today's digital age, being online is vital for learning, employment, social connections, and more. Yet, individuals with IDD are three times more likely to face barriers compared to those without disabilities. This initiative provides safe, accessible digital skills training tailored to the diverse learning needs of people with IDD, empowering them to confidently navigate the online world.

Learn more here

How -To Video Galleries

Using a Chromebook

Using Email

Community Partnership Fund

The Arc of Northeast Colorado, as a collaborative partner, is pleased to provide funding considerations for nonprofit community organizations, groups, or individuals committed to providing inclusive opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across our service region (Weld, Logan, Morgan, Washington, Sedgwick, Phillips and Yuma counties).

Before you start your application, please read the information below. It explains what our agency means by inclusion and how we describe it. What is Inclusion? How does it benefit people?

The Problem

Some people have disabilities that make it harder to learn or do certain things. These people are not always treated fairly and are still sometimes left out of schools, jobs, and fun with others. They often don’t get the help they need in a kind and fair way.

What We Believe

Everyone should be treated with kindness and respect. People with disabilities should be part of everything in the community—like going to school, playing sports, going to the park, or going to church. They should get the help they need to join in right away—not later.

Kids with disabilities should be able to:

Live with their family
Get help when they need it
Have loving adults in their life
Make friends and play with other kids
Go to their neighborhood school with kids their age
Do the same things other kids do

Grown-ups with disabilities should be able to:

Have friends and people they care about
Pick where they live and who they live with
Get help when they need it
Have a job they like and feel proud of
Do fun things in the community like sports or hobbies

Below you will find the application, rubric, budget form, after-event survey, and final budget form. If you need assistance or when returning completed documents, please email them to Tiffany Ochoa, office manager at tiffany@arcneco.org or 970-353-5219 ext. 3. 

What happens Next:

A group of people will look at your application. They might call you if they need to ask more questions.
If your idea is super good, then the bigger group (the board) will look at it to say "yes" or "no".
We will email or call you to tell you the final answer.
Look at the dates below to know when you will get information from The ANECO.

If your application is received by February 15th

The initial review will be completed by March 31st
You will have our final decision by June 30th

If your application is received by June 15th

The initial review will be completed by July 31st
You will have our final decision by October 31st

Post the event, you will be required to complete the following documents:

Legislative Resources

Voting Rights Fact Sheet here
Find your legislators here
Find your bill tracker here
CO General Assembly: Bills, Resolutions, & Memorials (search all bills) here
CO SOS Bill Number Search (information from lobbyists on organization position) here:
Click here for more information on how to participate in the process.

Be sure your information is updated at Go Vote Colorado.

Explore what’s on your ballot using trusted sources like:
Plan for casting your ballot. Will you:
- Return your ballot by mail?
- Use a 24/7 secure Dropbox? Vote in-person at your local Polling Center?

Other Ways to Get Involved

Informal Rules for legislative advocacy here
Testimony tips for legislative session here
Learn about and participate in the Governor's Task Force Related to the Rights of Coloradans with Disabilities. here
Why was this task force established? Learn more about HB23-1296 here

How a Bill Becomes a Law in Colorado

See the Colorado "Bill-to-Law" flow chart here.

The Arc of US Position Statements

Overview

The Arc’s position statements address critical issues related to human and civil rights, health care and treatment, and services and programs for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Position statements inform The Arc’s public policy agenda, as well as to provide the national platform of positions of The Arc for use by chapters at all levels – national, state, and local. The statements serve to inform our constituency, stakeholders, media, and the general public on the prevailing organizational view on key issues.

Creation of Position Statements

The President of The Arc appoints the Policy and Positions Committee which considers development of new position statements and revision of existing position statements in collaboration with the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD).

New position statements and revisions of existing statements are developed through a process that provides substantial opportunity for input and participation by chapters of The Arc. Chapter comments are considered as the final drafts are developed for approval by The Arc's Board of Directors. After approval, final drafts are presented to the Chapters for adoption at The Arc’s Annual Meeting. Once adopted, position statements remain in force until they are replaced or withdrawn. The Arc’s bylaws require that the position statements be reviewed at least every six years.

Click here to learn more on Position Statements

Special Education Law Center

AdvocacyDenver’s Center for Special Education Law has created a series of brief, five-minute webinars for families on key topics, including procedural safeguards, restraint, and seclusion.

Navigating Dispute Resolution - AdvocacyDenver

Resolución de disputas - AdvocacyDenver

Navigating Restraints and Seclusion - AdvocacyDenver

Restricción y aislamiento - AdvocacyDenver

Navigating Independent Education Evaluations - AdvocacyDenver

Navegando las Evaluaciones Educativas Independientes (IEE) - AdvocacyDenver

Navigating Student Discipline - AdvocacyDenver

Navegando la disciplina estudiantil - AdvocacyDenver

Individuals with Disabilities Act vs. Section 504 - AdvocacyDenver

Margaret Brown
Community Impact Award

RECOGNIZING LOCAL PIONEERS CREATING INCLUSION, ACCEPTANCE, AND BELONGING
FOR ALL

Each year, the Margaret Brown Community Impact Award honors the memory and legacy of Margaret Brown, a local pioneer for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Margaret Brown cared for people who were overlooked in society. She and her husband, Byron, welcomed twin boys born with autism in 1952. They advocated for educational and independent living opportunities for people with disabilities to ensure that their boys and others like them were not treated as second class citizens.

We lost sweet Margaret on April 16, 2022, at the age of 102 ½, but her presence is still at work, especially through our agency, which was a cause close to her heart.

MB Community Impact Award 3rd Annual_edi

“We wanted to create something that represents her, and we hope it’s something that the community embraces and looks forward to.”

Amelia Koehmstedt, Executive Director

Recipients of the Margaret Brown Community Impact Award

Mary Young

former Colorado House of Representative and Board Member of The Arc of Northeast Colorado

> Read more from the Greeley Tribune

Marilyn Schock

former President and CEO of UCHealth Greeley Hospital

> Read more from the Greeley Tribune

Karen Galvin

former D6 Project SEARCH Coordinator

> Read more from the Windsor Chronicle

Angie Howell

Angie Howell, owner of Tender Hearts Home Healthcare and author

Margaret Brown

Resources