OUR SERVICES
Springfield Family Advocacy
Our Family Advocates are your first point of contact to help navigate connections to programs and services to support you and your family.
Family Advocacy Team
Our Family Advocacy team is dedicated to supporting individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD), as well as their families. We provide valuable information and guidance about available resources, ensuring that each person receives the support they need.
In addition to working directly with those seeking assistance, our Family Advocacy team actively fosters close connections with local organizations to bridge gaps for the individuals and families we serve. These relationships enhance our ability to connect them with community resources.
FAMILY ADVOCACY SERVICES
The Family Advocacy team specializes in providing:
Community Resources
Our team maintains an up-to-date list of resources, ensuring that individuals and families have access to the most relevant information. Our team connects individuals and families with local organizations that can provide guidance, assistance, and specialized programs.
Self-Advocacy Training
Our Family Advocacy team offers training designed to empower individuals to become effective self-advocates. These trainings focus on building the confidence, skills, and knowledge necessary to voice their own needs, preferences and rights in various settings.
Assistive Technology Resources
Assistive technology (AT) is any item, equipment, software program, or product system used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.
To enhance awareness, our Family Advocacy team houses examples of AT tools and hosts dedicated AT labs where individuals, families, and other service providers can explore and interact with the latest devices and software. Individuals can also borrow various AT items to try out in their daily lives and see if they suit their needs and lifestyle. Additionally, our Family Advocates participate in and organize events, presentations, and demonstrations aimed at increasing knowledge and understanding of how AT can improve quality of life.
Community Events
Our Family Advocacy team is dedicated to developing presentations that focus on disability services, inclusion, and raising public awareness. We collaborate with various community partners to create and offer educational presentations that inform and engage the community. In collaboration with other organizations, we also host resource fairs, where community members can discover a wide range of services, programs, and opportunities tailored to the I/DD community.
We also play a crucial role in autism collaborative efforts, supporting newly diagnosed families through our Autism and Neurodevelopmental Center.
In addition to these efforts, we actively engage with local multidisciplinary teams and collaborate with both local offices and state agencies, to work to create a more inclusive community for all.
Connect & Get Started
We’d love to hear from you! Give us a call or fill out the form below to connect with an Arc team member.
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