The Arc Experience Podcast

Two empowered moms behind the groundbreaking multifamily housing development Prairie Haus for people with and without disabilities did not have long to celebrate their accomplishment before they were forced to tackle new challenges. How do you open housing during COVID? How do you find new purpose in your life when your adult children with disabilities are living independently? What happens when that independence is threatened when...

How can people with disabilities have access to affordable and safe housing where they can live independently with supports to meet their needs? Increasing the supply of such housing is one side of the equation and that is what WHEDA's Supportive Housing Institute (SHI) aims to do. In this episode we will hear directly from WHEDA and partner CSH about this initiative along with SHI participant Catapult Wellness and find out wh...

There is perhaps no issue that people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) struggle with more than dental care. 

·        State data indicates that 29% of adults with disabilities reported having at least one permanent tooth removed over the past year, and 26% said they had not visited a dentist within the past year.

·        Adults with a disability are less likely to visit the dentist for a cleaning, check-up, or ...

Today we are talking about something that’s hard for a lot of people: Thinking about the future. We don’t know what to expect – and frankly, the unknown can be a little scary – especially if you are a person with a disability or a family member who relies on supports to build and live a good life.  

In this episode we meet Liz Mahar who is sharing a wake up call across the country about future planning. She says it's ...

November is National Family Caregiver month. Did you know that One in five Wisconsinites (or 1.18M people) is estimated to be an unpaid caregiver?  Wisconsin family caregivers provide more than 490 million unpaid hours of care annually to individuals with disabilities and older adults. 

80 percent of all care is provided by families who help loved ones daily with meals, bathing and dressing, medications, doctor appointments and more...

If you haven't heard of the Britney Spears conservatorship case we'd be pretty surprised! It seems everyone is talking about conservatorship or guardianship these days as the case of the pop star's life hits the headlines. But while you may now know that Britney had very limited control over any decisions in her life, what may be new news is that tens of thousands of people in Wisconsin live with the same restriction...

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and this episode celebrates the journey of one man from a life-changing event to his position today as a leading disability and inclusion professional in a national company. 

While employers struggle to find talent, Ben Trockman has found the solution in the significant population of talented, problem-solving people with disabilities sitting on the on the sidelines....

Are you IN? Disability:IN Wisconsin is empowering  leading companies statewide  to achieve disability inclusion and equality. As the state's largest employers are looking for new talent, they are also learning how to foster a culture that welcomes workers with disabilities.

Disability:IN Wisconsin is a member organization where employers set the table, share tools and mentor and learn from each other. These companies...

Today's podcast is about Wisconsin's dark secret.  A piece of history that many think should be forgotten. And while many states have made decisions to do just that, Wisconsin seems stuck in the past. What are we talking about? It is the fact that Wisconsin still operates three state institutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Places that have been open since the 19th century. Why? Let’s lear...

Today we are talking about a program that is an important lifeline for people with disabilities, but it simply doesn’t work very well.  In fact,  this program prevents people from getting married, discourages them from working, and even prevents them from accepting help from family members.  

There are 1,275,932  recipients of Supplemental Security Income (or SSI) in Wisconsin.  SSI provides help to many of the lowest inco...

There is a lot happening in Washington these days for people with disabilities. And as the old saying goes – if you’re not in the kitchen, you are on the menu! Today’s guest is not only in the kitchen in Congress, but she is often busy mixing up the ingredients to make the lives of people with disabilities and their families better. In this episode, Nicole Jorwic, The Arc’s Senior Director of Public Policy tells us what happens dur...

What is the “good life” for people with disabilities and how can we get it for ourselves or secure it for our loved ones? Why should you think beyond the  services you receive? 

You might be surprised to learn that the life you've been  planning won't get you the good life– and you could be to blame. Stacey Ramirez – a Mom and national leader in person-centered thinking, challenges us to take some risks in our vi...

Now that our state is talking about what life looks like coming out of the pandemic there is a lot of the discussion about economic recovery – getting businesses back up and running and getting everyone back to work safely. 

In Wisconsin, we know people with disabilities want to work, but they are seriously underemployed. In fact, People with disabilities have lost their jobs at a much more rapid pace during the pandemic  - generall...

When you die will your loved one have enough money and support to live a good life? Who will pay for those "extras" that make all the difference? If you are a person with a disability, do you wonder where you can put money that helps you save for important things but that won't impact your benefits? Many people with disabilities and their families struggle with these questions, and a Special Needs Trust may be the an...

In this episode we hear from  one of Wisconsin’s leading experts in best practices in special education and transition supports for student with disabilities. Dr. Nancy Molfenter  is currently an Assistant Director of Student Services in Wisconsin’s 2nd largest school district as well as a special education professor at the University of Wisconsin. Nancy is someone who is not afraid to roll up her sleeves! She has more than 20 year...

Twenty years ago Nelsinia Ramos not only had a young daughter with autism, but was struggling to learn English and navigate the special education system at the same time. It was intimidating to say the least. Looking back, that experience is what fuels her desire to help other families in her work at Wisconsin FACETS today. In this podcast, Nelsinia,  now the Associate Director at the statewide parent support organization, talks ab...

When businesses want to hire people with disabilities, a lot of things can get in the way: from building accessibility and workplace accommodations to understanding disability benefits and how to work with outside providers like the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), IRIS or Family Care. Today’s podcast guests know all about these obstacles, both from inside the business and out. This episode features the mother and son t...

When Andrea Curley was 18 and had just graduated from high school, she lost her mother. That’s when she enrolled in Family Care, Wisconsin's long-term services and supports managed care program, and her journey toward learning how to be independent began. In fact, just recently she made the decision to disenroll from Family Care because she's met her goals! In this episode you'll learn how Andrea did it, with a littl...