Our mission is to empower children and adults with developmental disabilities to achieve their potential based on personal choices, abilities and interests...
For more information about donations, please contact:
Anne Sweazey
Executive Director
Westchester Arc Foundation
phone: 914.428.8330, ext. 3336,
fax: 914.997.2985
asweazey@
westchesterarc.org
Westchester Arc
The Gleeson-Israel Gateway Center
265 Saw Mill River Road
Hawthorne, NY 10532
914.949.9300
info@westchesterarc.org
24-hour
Crisis Intervention:
914.949.8200
Información
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Changing Times/
Changing Needs
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| Current Facility |
Just imagine...
On the edge of White Plains, surrounded by light industry, lies a converted World War II munitions plant, Westchester Arc’s current home.
This stark setting has been Westchester Arc’s central location for 45 years, a time during which programs and people served have grown tenfold. Our present building and location were fine during the seventies, when de-institutionalization took place and work opportunities for people with developmental disabilities were identified in light industry. Today, though, the building neither serves our needs nor reflects what we have become. Families say it projects a restrictive image, reinforcing stereotypes
about the people we serve.
Over the years, services have moved away from centralized, highly protective environments. Programs are now largely delivered within the community—jobs with a law firm, in-home clinical services, a visit to the library. We have progressed from center-based support to active participation in community life. Now we need a home that’s a “gateway to the community.”
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| With changing times has come a desire for greater personal fulfillment. |
From Isolation to Inclusion
In 1949, parents of children with developmental disabilities made a promise that led to the formation of Westchester Arc: To take people with developmental disabilities out of their isolated worlds and into environments where there are choices and possibilities. The values buttressing that promise continue to drive our organization:
- Respect for individuality and personal choice
- Opportunities for each individual to be a contributing, valued member of the community
- Lives that are enriched through social relationships and family support
- Opportunities for self-expression
- Advocacy on behalf of full social inclusion
A founding member of The Arc of the U.S., Westchester Arc is now the largest agency in the county providing services to people of all ages who have developmental disabilities.
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