The Arc of Lehigh & Northampton Counties

The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties champions a life of inclusion, opportunity, and equity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through advocacy, education, and supports. We align with The Arc of U.S. and The Arc of Pennsylvania in our beliefs around human dignity, personhood, choice, rights, community, support, equity, and diversity. We strive to ensure that all people with IDD have access to high quality programs which are responsive to their needs and that they are valued, respected and fully included members of our Lehigh Valley communities with the right to choose where they live, learn, work, and play. We are proud to provide and/or administer five different community-based programs and services designed to facilitate full inclusion and meet the needs of children and adults with IDD in Lehigh and Northampton Counties: The Arc’s Advocacy program is the core service offered by The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties since the organization was founded in 1967 and the cornerstone service upon which The Arc of the United States was founded over seventy years ago. The Arc’s Advocacy department provides advocacy resources and support for people with IDD of all ages via 1:1 Individual Advocacy, Resource Coordination, and Webinar Trainings to both educate and empower individuals and families as they navigate the early intervention, education, and/or adult systems. Our Advocacy services are offered to qualifying families at no cost to the public, the family, or our communities. SPARC is a waiver-funded, state-licensed adult support program which serves people in Lehigh and Northampton Counties via both community and facility-based day services. The SPARC Program is a day program which is partnered with dozens of organizations and businesses throughout the Lehigh Valley in order to afford program participants the opportunity to be engaged in activities directed towards life skills development and various therapy outlets such as pet and/or music therapy. Agency with Choice is a waiver-funded, self-directed personal care service supporting individuals based in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. The Agency with Choice model allows an individual or the surrogate of their choosing to select persons of their choice to be hired as their direct support when needed within the individuals’ home and communities. The Arc supports Lehigh County by administering FD/FSS services and circulating The Bi-County Observer for eligible families that reside in Lehigh County. The Bi-County Observer provides thousands of individuals and families with important local news and information at bi-monthly intervals throughout the year. Infusion of Inclusion 2.0 is an Elementary school-based educational program designed to inspire and encourage young children to embrace human diversity, incorporate behaviors of inclusion and acceptance into their everyday actions while also raising their understanding and awareness of people with disabilities.