Connection and community come in many forms, sometimes even feline ones. For St. Louis Arc resident Angie, having some connection to animals in her life was essential. Angies long-time love for cats inspired her to speak with her support staff about her desire to volunteer. She hoped to work with a local animal shelter to…
Each year families who participate in our Capable Kids and Family (CKF) and Parents Learning Together (PLT) programs receive holiday gifts as part of the annual St. Louis Arc Giving Tree. As we approach the holiday season, the Arc partners with businesses and individuals in the St. Louis community who buy gifts off a childs…
On the 9thday of the 9th month, we honor Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Day as a symbol of the 9-months of pregnancy that a woman should remain alcohol free. Over the last decade, awareness efforts have grown and September is now set aside as International FASD month. FASD is an umbrella term describing…
Go The Whole 9 This spring the St. Louis Arc partnered with Webster University students to create a public service announcement for the Go the Whole 9 campaign. Go the Whole 9 is an awareness campaign funded through the Department of Mental Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the United Way to educate…
“Welcome to MOD Pizza!” Walk into any MOD Pizza, and youll be warmly and loudly welcomed by the staff behind the counter and in the dining room. MOD Pizza takes being a welcoming place to a higher level. Its part of their mission their people-first mission. Spreading MODness means many things, but mostly it means…
CONNECTINGto Your Community If you stopped into the Rock Hill Trainwreck Saloon on a Friday in early May, you may not have thought it any different than any other Friday. There were people chatting, eating, or watching a game on TV. However, on this particular Friday, 35 people from our Meet Up group were spread…
Person Centered Planning is a process used to help people with disabilities identify what they want their life to look like. The process is often used in Individual Education Plans (IEP), Individual Family Plans (IFP), and Individual Support Plans (ISP). What makes Person Centered Planning unique is that the individual receiving support drives the process…
Often when we discuss “pre-employment training” people tend to think of assisting an individual in learning how to do a job. However, theres more than that. When you have a confident, joyful, well-rounded individual, you are more likely to have a successful and satisfied employee. Pre-Employment Training Program The St. Louis Arcs Pre-Employment Training program…
How I Felt Before My Autism Diagnosis Recently we came across an article by Thomas Hassell, a contributor to The Mighty, titled How I Felt Before My Autism Diagnosis. Thomas shared how he is different now, verses when he was younger. That got us thinking about Arc participants who are transitioning to living independently, many…
Lindsey Moore, Behavior Specialist and Carly McElvaine, Leisure Coordinator offerstrategies they use to support positive behavior in teens. Each topic will follow the story of an individual who is dealing with a specific problem. While this article will relate to situations at the St. Louis Arcs summer programs, the strategies can be adapted to other…