Advocacy at The Arc Dearborn
As part of its mission, The Arc Dearborn is actively engaged in direct-action advocacy within our local communities. While each case is unique, the Arc Dearborn delivers services directly to members of the community through three major programs: Systems Navigation, Dignified Lifestyles, and Parent Mentorship.
What does advocacy look like at the local level?
Thanks to the our affiliated agencies and the generous support of our members and sponsors, The Arc Dearborn is able to provide these services to our community at no charge. For more information, or to request assistance, please contact us at 313.562.1787.
Systems Navigation
The term "Systems Navigation" refers to assistance given to help people move through the complicated maze of benefits and community supports designed to minimize the impact of disabilties. If you've ever dealt with an insurance company, or attempted to prepare your own taxes, you have an idea of how difficult it can be to navigate a single system. Now imagine there are hundreds of programs available, each with its own eligibility requirements, deadlines, and procedures. Systems navigators are specially trained to assist families and individuals to make sense of the wide range of resources available to them, and to ensure they receive the appropriate services to which they are entitled by law.
Dignified Lifestyles
"They don't live in our workplace. We work in their home."
A project of The Arc Michigan, the Dignified Lifestyles program is a unique program aimed at ensuring the dignity and inherent worth of each individual is maintained in group living environments. With the closing of state-run institutions in Michigan, state and local agencies enacted oversight practices to ensure group homes in the community meet basic health and safety standards. The philosophy behind Dignified Lifestyles is that individuals deserve more than merely having basic needs met - that every person deserves to live in an environment that is emotionally secure and nourishing, as well.
To ensure that residents of group homes experience dignity in their living environment, specially-trained volunteers visit residents on a regular basis. Assuming that basic health and safety needs are met, the focus is on enhacing the quality of life for these individuals. Are they able to make basic choices about how to spend their time, what to wear, when to go to bed at night, have visitors when they choose? By partnering with group home managers and staff, the Dignified Lifestyles program works to remind everyone involved that a person's home should always be a place of safety, dignity, and respect.
Parent Mentorship
Any parent knows the challenges of raising a family can at times seem overwhelming. When members of that family have a developmental disability, the task can be especially difficult.
With the support of the Michigan Alliance for Families, the Parent Mentorship program works to assist parents of children with developmental disabilities by connecting parents to community resources, educational opportunities, and social and support networks. The Arc's Parent Mentor can help to reduce the feelings of lonliness and isolation that may threaten the well-being of families dealing with developmental disabilities.
As the parent of a child with a disability, our Parent Mentor is in a unique position to support families dealing with the challenges this unique type of parenting present. For more information about the Parent Mentor program, call The Arc Dearborn at 313.562.1787.
