The Arc New York
The Arc New York is a statewide nonprofit organization supporting people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities through a network of local chapters.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Arc New York, formerly known as NYSARC, is a New York State nonprofit organization serving people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. It operates through 55 local chapters distributed across the state and is affiliated with The Arc of the United States. The organization provides direct services, family support, advocacy, clinical and educational programs, residential assistance, employment-related services, recreation, guardianship support, and trust administration. The organization emerged from a parent-led movement in the Bronx in 1949. Two mothers placed an advertisement in the New York Post seeking other parents interested in creating a day nursery for their young children. More than 200 New York City parents responded. They formed an organized effort to secure recognition of their children's needs and abilities, eventually appointing a committee to prepare a constitution for a statewide organization. The organization was formally incorporated in February 1949. In March, specialized committees were established for education, legal affairs, fundraising, and public relations, while the first issue of a family communication publication was released. That publication was initially called Our Children's Voice and later became Our Voice Today. The parent-founded structure became a significant part of The Arc New York's identity. Rather than functioning as a single centralized service provider, it coordinates and represents a large chapter network whose local organizations deliver services adapted to community needs. The chapters cover metropolitan New York, the Hudson Valley, Long Island, the Capital Region, the Adirondacks, Central New York, and Western New York. Their names and local identities vary, but they collectively operate under the broader Arc network. The organization's service portfolio spans the life course. Children's programs can include diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, early support, and education from birth through school age. Clinical and primary-care services are provided in some locations, while day programs may combine therapeutic, rehabilitative, pre-vocational, vocational, and employment activities. Residential services are intended to help people live as independently as possible in community settings. Other programs provide advocacy, case and service-access support, recreation, guardianship planning, and assistance connected with government waiver programs. The Arc New York also administers trust-related programs for people with disabilities and their families. These include unrestricted and exempt funds within The Arc New York Trust, pooled Community Trust programs structured as supplemental-needs trusts, and Individual Trust services involving trustee or administrative support. These arrangements are intended to help preserve access to public benefits while allowing families or individuals to fund supplemental needs and long-term support. The organization has also developed partnerships with service and philanthropic organizations, including Camp Loyal Town, Advantage Care Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Brookville Center for Children's Services, the AHRC Foundation, and the Fay J. Linder Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Its stated mission emphasizes quality of life, dependable information and direction, high-quality service delivery, unified advocacy, and continuing organizational learning. The available reference material does not identify a current chief executive, detailed financial results, or a specific headquarters address.
History
The Arc New York began in 1949 as a parent-led effort in the Bronx. Two mothers placed a newspaper advertisement seeking families interested in establishing a day nursery for their young children. The response exceeded 200 parents in New York City, creating a collective movement focused on recognition of the needs, abilities, and rights of children with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. A committee was subsequently assigned to draft a constitution for a new organization. The organization was incorporated in February 1949, and additional committees were organized the following month to address education, legal affairs, fundraising, and public relations. In the same period, it began publishing a family-oriented periodical called Our Children's Voice, later renamed Our Voice Today. The publication helped share information and maintain communication among parents and families. The organization gradually expanded from a parent association into a statewide service and advocacy network. Its model of combining family leadership, local chapters, direct services, and public advocacy was subsequently replicated in other parts of the United States. The organization later became known as NYSARC and is now branded The Arc New York, while remaining affiliated with The Arc of the United States. Its chapter structure became central to its operations. Local organizations serve communities across four broad regions: Central, Northeast, Southeast, and Western New York. The network includes chapters serving counties and localities such as Albany, Bronx, Erie, Monroe, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and many other areas. Some chapters retain the Arc name, while others operate under locally established names such as AHRC Nassau, Heritage Centers, Ontario ARC, Opportunities Unlimited, and Saratoga Bridges. The chapter network provides a broad range of supports. Children's programs may cover early evaluation, treatment, education, and developmental assistance. Clinical programs and health services are available through parts of the network. Day services can combine therapeutic, rehabilitative, pre-vocational, vocational, and employment activities. Residential programs support community living and greater independence. Advocacy, service navigation, recreation, guardianship planning, and waiver-related assistance address additional needs encountered by individuals and families. The Arc New York also established financial and fiduciary services designed for disability-related planning. Its trust programs include funds that can receive assets from families or other grantors, pooled community trusts for people whose income or assets interact with public-benefit eligibility rules, and individual supplemental-needs trust administration. These programs are intended to provide additional resources without necessarily displacing access to applicable government benefits. Over time, The Arc New York has complemented its chapter work with partnerships involving service providers, treatment and diagnostic organizations, camps, autism and developmental-disability centers, and philanthropic bodies. Its mission describes the organization as a source of support, information, direction, and services; a provider committed to high standards; an advocate seeking a unified voice; and a learning organization that incorporates training and education into its operations. The supplied reference materials do not provide a complete chronology of later leadership changes, financial performance, or individual program launches.
- 1949
Parent-led origins in the Bronx
[1]Two Bronx mothers placed a newspaper advertisement seeking families interested in creating a day nursery for children with developmental disabilities. More than 200 parents responded and formed the movement that became The Arc New York.
- 1949
Formal incorporation
[1]The organization was formally incorporated in February 1949 after a committee prepared a constitution for a single parent-led organization.
- 1949
Committees and family publication established
[1]Committees covering education, legal affairs, fundraising, and public relations were formed in March. The organization also began publishing Our Children's Voice, later known as Our Voice Today.
Expansion into a statewide chapter network
[1]The organization developed into a statewide network of 55 chapters serving communities throughout New York and became affiliated with The Arc of the United States.
Products and positioning
A statewide, chapter-based nonprofit service and advocacy network for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, combining direct support, family assistance, community living programs, and disability-related trust services.
Disability advocacy
Advocacy and support
Chapter-based advocacy assists individuals and families in expressing needs, navigating systems, accessing services, and seeking recognition of the rights and capabilities of people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.
Developmental and educational services
Children's services
Programs for children from birth through school age may include diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, developmental support, and education. Availability and scope vary by local chapter and partner organization.
Day habilitation and vocational support
Day and employment services
Day programs can combine diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, pre-vocational, vocational, and employment-related activities. These services are designed to support participation, skills development, structured activity, and greater independence.
Community living support
Residential services
Residential programs provide assistance intended to help people with developmental disabilities live as independently as possible in community settings. The specific model and level of support depend on local program design and individual needs.
Disability trust services
The Arc New York Trust
The Arc New York Trust includes an unrestricted fund that can receive money or property from parents, relatives, and friends for the benefit of a person with a developmental disability, as well as an exempt fund primarily associated with the organization's corporate guardianship program.
Pooled supplemental-needs trusts
The Arc New York Community Trusts
Community Trust programs are pooled supplemental-needs trusts for people with disabilities. Different programs are intended for varying combinations of income, assets, and public-benefit circumstances, including Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income eligibility considerations.
Trustee and administrative services
The Arc New York Individual Trust
The Individual Trust provides trustee and administrative services for first-party and third-party supplemental-needs trusts for people meeting applicable disability criteria.
Recent events
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