Agency Resources:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thearcjslc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thearcjslc
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thearcjslc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thearcjslc
The Arc Jefferson – St. Lawrence Foundation Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thearcjslcfoundation
Developmental Disability Advocate Network: https://www.facebook.com/ddadvocatenetwork
Support Networks:
CNY211: 211, a free service, connects callers to critical health and human services in their community. Find the resources you need! https://www.211cny.com
The Arc: The Arc of the United States is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization advocating for and supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. https://thearc.org
The Arc New York: To provide people with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities the ordinary and extraordinary opportunities of life. https://thearcny.org
Autism Society: We create connections, empowering everyone in the Autism community with the resources needed to live fully. https://autismsociety.org
Brain Injury Association: The Brain Injury Association of New York State is a statewide non-profit membership organization that provides advocacy and support to people and families living with brain injuries. http://bianys.org
Cerebral Palsy Association of the North Country: CP of NY provides comprehensive, equitable and accessible high quality health care and human services to people of all income levels and those with individualized needs. https://www.cpnorthcountry.org
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: CMS is the federal agency that provides health coverage to more than 160 million through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. CMS works in partnership with the entire health care community to improve quality, equity and outcomes in the health care system. www.cms.hhs.gov
The Council on Quality and Leadership: CQL works to improve the quality of life for people with intellectual, developmental, and psychiatric disabilities. https://www.c-q-l.org
The Down Syndrome Society of St. Lawrence County: A support network of families and people with Down Syndrome in SLC. https://www.dsaofslc.org
Encompass Recreation: They provide inclusive recreational opportunities for children in the Jefferson County Area. www.encompassrec.com
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: FASD United empowers people living with FASD and prenatal substance exposure to educate systems of care and the public, enact policies, and unite communities everywhere. https://fasdunited.org/family-navigator
Housing Choice Voucher Program: Our housing program provides non-emergency housing assistance. Qualifying families are eligible to have money subsidized for their rental housing. There are 2 types of assistance. Applications are required. https://slccdp.org/housing-choice-voucher-program/
Head Start: Head Start is a program for children 4 and up. Applications are required. https://slccdp.org/head-start/
Jefferson County Community Services: Connects individuals with developmental disabilities to services, including day habilitation, residential, and clinical support. https://www.jeffersoncountyny.gov/departments/CommunityServices
Jefferson County Department of Social Services: Provides essential support and welfare programs to vulnerable individuals and families. https://www.jeffersoncountyny.gov/SocialServices
The Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs: The Justice Center was established in 2013 by the Protection of People with Special Needs Act. The agency was created to restore public trust in the institutions and individuals responsible for caring for vulnerable populations by protecting the health, safety, and dignity of individuals with disabilities. A list of resources that they recommend may be found on the following link. https://www.justicecenter.ny.gov/disability-resources
OPWDD: The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is responsible for coordinating services for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, Prader-Willi syndrome and other neurological impairments. It provides services directly and through a network of approximately 500 nonprofit service providing agencies, with about 80 percent of services provided by the private nonprofits and 20 percent provided by state-run services. https://opwdd.ny.gov
OPWDD Front Door: The Front Door is the way OPWDD connects you to the services you want and need. Once you enter, a person-centered planning process begins, which helps you learn about and access service options that take your needs and desires into consideration. It will also give you the chance to direct your own service plan or help your family member or loved one as they direct theirs. https://opwdd.ny.gov/get-started/front-door
The National Down Syndrome Society: NDSS' mission is to create a world where individuals with Down syndrome thrive. https://ndss.org
Neighborhood Centers: We have 5 Neighborhood Centers located in Canton, Colton/Parishville/Pierrepont, Gouverneur, Ogdensburg, and Potsdam. They each support their surrounding communities as well as the towns they are located in. They provide supplemental food, emergency assistance, and other services. https://slccdp.org/neighborhood-centers/
National Fragile X Foundation: To serve the entire Fragile X community to live their best lives by providing the knowledge, resources, and tools until, and even after, more effective treatments and a cure are achieved. https://fragilex.org
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities: NACDD’s mission is to work with State Councils on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) to empower people with developmental disabilities, their families, and allies to build welcoming and supportive communities through policy and practice ensuring that people with DD can live a self-directed life in the community. https://nacdd.org
NY Connects: Offers information and assistance for long-term care for all ages and disabilities. https://aging.ny.gov/ny-connects-your-link-long-term-services-and-supports
NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council: The mission of the New York State Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD) is to enhance the lives of New Yorkers with Developmental Disabilities and their families through programs that promote self-advocacy, participation, and inclusion in all facets of community life. www.ddpc.state.ny.us
NYS Office of Mental Health: OMH oversees a large multi-faceted mental health system serving nearly 800,000 individuals each year. This includes operating 23 psychiatric centers and overseeing the Nathan S. Kline Institute and New York Psychiatric Institute. OMH regulates and certifies more than 6,500 programs operated by local governments and nonprofit agencies. www.omh.state.ny.us
Parent to Parent USA: At Parent to Parent USA, when someone asks what we do, we say we empower and support parents, nationwide. Because we understand being a parent of a child with special needs can be a challenge — we’ve been there! https://www.p2pusa.org
St. Lawrence County Community Services: Connects individuals with developmental disabilities to services, including day habilitation, residential, and clinical support. https://www.stlawco.gov/Departments/CommunityServices
St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services: The St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services provides temporary assistance to eligible individuals and families to help them with their basic needs until they can become self-sufficient. https://www.stlawco.gov/Departments/SocialServices
Weatherization: Assists families with heating and cooling needs. Please check out the link for more information. Applications are required. https://slccdp.org/weatherization/
Advocacy:
The American Association of People with Disabilities: The American Association of People with Disabilities works to increase the political and economic power of people with disabilities. https://www.aapd.com
ANCOR: An association of community-based providers relentlessly advocating for person-centered outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As the trusted conduit of resources for providers, policymakers and the public, ANCOR enhances providers’ ability to support individuals with I/DD to be fully included and empowered in their communities. https://www.ancor.org
New York Disability Advocates: New York Disability Advocates (NYDA) is a statewide coalition of more than 300 non-profit organizations providing vital services and support to more than 130,000 New Yorkers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. https://nydisabilityadvocates.com
New York Disability Rights Network: DRNY is a not-for-profit organization that provides free legal and advocacy services to individuals with disabilities. They work to protect and advance the rights of children and adults with disabilities. DRNY is committed to enabling those we serve to exercise their own life choices and fully participate in community life. https://www.drny.org
Northern Regional Center for Independent Living: NRCIL is a professional peer-run advocacy organization working with people with disabilities while partnering with communities to create sustainable accessibility and equity. https://nrcil.net
Self-Advocacy Association of New York State: SANYS is the state-wide network of self-advocates who work toward speaking up for themselves and others. https://sanys.org
Transportation:
Jefferson County Public Transit: The Arc Jefferson – St. Lawrence operates the public transportation for Jefferson County. Development is in the works to begin four rural runs in 2026. Jeffcopublictransit.com
St. Lawrence County Public Transit: The Arc Jefferson – St. Lawrence operates the public transportation for St. Lawrence County. Our fleet of nearly 20 vehicles travels close to 1 million miles every year. Our buses are fully accessible, and anyone may ride. https://slcnypublictransit.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SLCNYPublicTransit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slcnypublictransit
Watertown City Transportation: CitiBus provides both fixed route and paratransit services within the City of Watertown, NY. https://www.watertown-ny.gov/directory/citibus
Volunteer Transportation Center: Provide transportation to health, wellness and critical needs destinations utilizing volunteers and mobility management for anyone who has barriers to transportation. https://volunteertransportationcenter.org
Inclusive Opportunities:
Special Olympics New York: To provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. https://www.specialolympics-ny.org
Work Options:
ACCESS-VR: Vocational Rehabilitation that assists people with disabilities to achieve and maintain employment and to support independent living. https://www.acces.nysed.gov/vr
Jefferson County Disability Resources Coordinator: We are specialized staff that help change local workforce systems to better serve individuals with disabilities.https://www.jeffersoncountyny.gov/DisabilityResourceCoordinator
Job Accommodation Network: JAN is a free consulting service that provides information about job accommodations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the employability of people with disabilities. www.jan.wvu.edu
New York State Industries for the Disabled: NYSID is a not-for-profit membership organization with a 50-year mission of creating jobs for New Yorkers with disabilities and qualified veterans. NYSID members are the employment resource centers for individuals with diverse abilities. Our member agencies also partner with private sector New York State businesses, including Minority and Woman-Owned Business and veterans’ support programs. https://www.nysid.org
SourceAmerica: SA connects Federal and Commercial Customers with top-rated products & services. American workforce that includes people with disabilities. https://www.sourceamerica.org
Education:
Ability Magazine: ABILITY Magazine, is the leading publication dedicated to health, disability, and human potential and works to challenge unconscious bias and showcasing ability to promote inclusion. https://abilitymagazine.com
Developmental Disabilities Institute: DDI is committed to diversity and inclusion for ALL people. We are a family of unique individuals bound by a common mission. https://www.ddiny.org
Jefferson-Lewis BOCES: BOCES empowers students to take the first steps towards a successful career with a practical, hands-on education designed to give real-world skills. https://www.boces.com/pes
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES: The Board Of Cooperative Educational Services of St. Lawrence-Lewis Counties serves 18 school districts in St. Lawrence and Lewis Counties, New York, by providing cost-effective shared services, including career training for high-school students and adults, special education, alternative schools, technology education, and teacher training, as well as dozens of programs to expand educational opportunity and help districts operate more efficiently. https://www.sllboces.org
Acronyms Commonly Used in the Disability Field: https://otda.ny.gov/resources/acronyms.asp
Businesses Owned by People with Disabilities:
Candidly Kind: Grace seeks to spread light love and acceptance through her original art and life. https://www.candidlykind.com
John’s Crazy Socks: We’re spreading happiness. https://johnscrazysocks.com
Special Sparkle: Discover a unique collection of handcrafted jewelry, each piece tells a story and reflects individuality. Our jewelry is a celebration of creativity and empowerment. https://www.specialsparkle.com