Technology is changing by the day. Build your confidence and/or build the confidence of a person you support through these new, FREE classes! Each class is one hour brought to you by Story Tapestries' Master Teaching Artist Jessica Wallach.👩‍💻

The fun all starts on Tuesday, September 8, so register TODAY because there are limited spots available. Bring in your own laptop, tablet or phone so you can learn new skills on the device you use at home.📲

Inclusive schools can have greater outcomes for children of all abilities. We've seen it first-hand at our inclusive early childhood education center KFICCC! 

Is your program looking for ways to become more inclusive? Or you may know a childcare center director who would be interested in this new, Inclusion Workshop Series brought to you by The Arc Montgomery County experts including Children & Youth Services Director Doreen Engel who has 46 years' experience! Core of Knowledge (COK) training hours available! Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity starting September 15!

Join The Arc Montgomery County's CEO, Daria Cervantes, on Zoom for Discussions with Daria. During this open discussion, you will hear about new happenings at The Arc Montgomery County and have the opportunity to ask questions live. 

Discussion topics include: Top Workplaces survey results, an update on the lawsuit against the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and state funding for this year and next year.

The August 20 4 pm meeting is for employees of The Arc Montgomery County only. (Details on The HUB.)

The August 20, 6 pm meeting is dedicated to people supported by The Arc and their families. (Register on our website.)

Sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and in partnership with The Arc Montgomery County, join us for a free virtual Medicare Basics webinar series. Each session will provide clear, practical information about how Medicare works, important enrollment periods, and the coverage choices available.

Topics include: The four parts of Medicare (A, B, C, and D), enrollment periods and key deadlines, original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies, prescription drug coverage (Part D), and more.

CMS Medicare Basics for People with IDD and Families. Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 4 pm. Click here to register.

CMS Medicare Basics for Seniors. Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 4 pm. Click here to register.

“I am extremely happy that I was one of the people selected for the DSP Career Laddering program.”

Jonathan Mulbah (pictured) was one of 15 Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) from The Arc Montgomery County picked to go through a training offered through The National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP). Participants worked hard via online courses, covering topics like medication administration, to earn their DSP-I, DSP-II, and finally the DSP-III which is an advanced certification.

“It is very informative and it is all very beneficial to the job,” says Sybil Paul (pictured), who’s been with The Arc for 33 years. Retaining employees like Sybil has been one of The Arc’s goals and programs like this one aim to not only keep employees but help them advance.

Hadiatu Savage says the program “motivated me to continue learning and improving in my role as a DSP. It also reminded me that the work we do every day truly makes a difference in the lives of the individuals we support, and that is something I value deeply.”

The Arc received a grant from The Maryland Department of Labor which was used to create the DSP Career Laddering program. In addition to those mentioned, the following employees also participated: Aggee Makong, Natacha Affoua, Mbalu Bockarie, Oluwakemi Gbadebo, Aristide Guiffo, Tadelu Hagos, Jean Mboumo, Senayit Melese, Abisola Olajide, and Rosamond Thomas.

On July 11, The Arc Montgomery County was honored to partner with Union Church Silver Spring for their annual Serve Day for a second year in a row! As part of their community-wide outreach initiative, Union Church mobilized three incredible teams of volunteers to beautify three of our community-based homes for the people we support.

The volunteers transformed outdoor spaces and added thoughtful touches that the people we support picked out themselves to brighten each home. Volunteers, employees, and people supported came together and created more welcoming, comfortable environments - and reminded us of the power of partnership and community.

We are deeply grateful to Union Church Silver Spring for choosing The Arc Montgomery County as a Serve Day partner once again!

If your faith group, school, or company is interested in volunteering, we invite you to visit our website to learn how you can get involved!

Usually, The Arc Montgomery County heads to Annapolis or DC to advocate, but in July, legislators accepted the invite to visit our headquarters.

Government Affairs Special Chris Leacock held a talk and answered questions about some of the priorities of the IDD community from The Arc Montgomery County's perspective.

Thank you to all who came including Delegate Jared Solomon, Delegate Greg Wims, Delegate Linda Foley, Delegate Bernice Mireku-North, the office of Delegate Aaron Kaufman, and The Arc Montgomery County leadership.

The Arc Montgomery County partnered with Montgomery County Public School's Summer RISE program to give interns, Sofia and Mia, the opportunity to work with the Communications & Outreach team.

They did everything from mailing heartfelt letters to creating Google ads. Their focus was also on social media. They utilized graphic design apps to create posts with the goal of increasing our social media presence. Which they did!

Sofia - "The office is genuinely one of the warmest atmospheres I have ever experienced. Before this internship, I was ignorant, to say the least. I didn't know about the need for advocacy and the amount of work The Arc did to bring real change. This internship has opened a whole new world for me, and I want to be able to share that world with everyone around me."  

Mia - "I loved interning at The Arc. I learned a variety of topics such as social media and analytics, advocacy, and the importance of Medicaid. I familiarized myself with inclusive language and broadened my knowledge on the goals of this nonprofit organization. Thank you so much for this opportunity! "

Have you checked out all of our social media channels? You should! Here's what's trending:

On July 15, Communications Coordinator Rafihat Banjo created and posted a reel hopping on the “POV You’re Dating” trend and got more than 1630 views!

On July 7, the "We Can" reel created by intern Sofia got more than 970 views!

You may have seen these communication boards (pictured left) around your community and now Montgomery Parks' is making even more of an effort to have them in places like Wheaton Local Park's fully accessible playground and South Germantown Recreational Park.

They are 3’x 5’ foot framed boards in the ground displaying more than 60 photos, symbols, and illustrations to assist people with diverse language skills to express themselves. The words and phrases are in English, Spanish, and Braille. The user just gestures to the images on the board to communicate with others. 

Click here for a full list of where these boards are located.

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