The Arc’s Adult Advocacy services provide information & referral, individual advocacy and systems advocacy regarding issues of adult community life.

Those core issues in adult advocacy include functional supports and services, social supports, employment and housing, health care, benefits, and the quality of community life.

The adult advocate assists individuals and families in accessing the resources needed to support meaningful community life for adults with developmental disabilities.

Self-determination is a guiding principle of The Arc’s Adult Advocacy services.


Kathleen Perry is The Arc’s adult advocate. She can be reached by calling The Arc offices (610) 544.6600 ext.106 or by emailing her at kperry@thearcofdelco.org





The Arc’s Child & Family Advocacy services provide information & referral, educational advocacy services, and systems advocacy services for children with developmental disabilities and their families.

The Child & Family Advocate assists families in accessing supports & services for their child with a disability, including early intervention services, free and appropriate special education services, and issues involving health care, in-home supports, benefits and adaptive equipment.

The Arc also links families to sources of social support, such as support groups, sibling groups, and training opportunities.


Kathy Zepka is the Child & Family advocate. She can be reached at The Arc (610) 544.6600 ext.103 or by email at kzepka@thearcofdelco.org

 




The Arc speaks out at local, state, and national levels. The Arc of Delaware County strives to inform families of upcoming legislation proposals and changes that directly impact individuals with disabilities.

The Arc also encourages constituents to contact their local, state and national government officials to let the staff in Harrisburg and Washington know that individuals in Delaware County care about the decisions they are making in regards to individuals with disabilities.


Kathy Zepka is the coordinator of The Arc's Governmental Affairs Committee. She can be reached at The Arc (610) 544.6600 ext.103 or by email at kzepka@thearcofdelco.org






About the IM4Q Project

The IM4Q Program has been active in Delaware County since 1999; one of the results of the Commonwealth’s Multi-year Plan for Pennsylvania’s mental retardation system. The Multi-year Plan called for the creation of local independent teams to monitor the quality of services and supports for people who have mental retardation.

Focusing on individual consumer satisfaction, IM4Q is one of the few statewide programs of this kind in the country, pioneering community participation in the quality improvement process. Unlike DPW ‘licensure’ and Department of Health review and certification processes, IM4Q asks the person receiving supports and their family how they feel about the services they are receiving: what ‘works for them’ and what the consumer feels they need to improve the quality of their lives.

For more information about the program or becoming a volunteer monitor, contact the IM4Q program coordinator,

James "Jim" Hutchinson at 610.544.6600 or by email at jhutchinson@thearcofdelco.org.