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AHRC Mission
AHRC New York City, a family
governed organization, is dedicated to enhancing the lives of
individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and
their families. |
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Values:
Each member of the organization is committed to promoting a
culture that embraces: |
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| Passion: |
Committing wholeheartedly to the
mission of the agency. |
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| Respect: |
Responding to all members of the
AHRC community with courtesy, kindness and open and honest
communication. |
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| Integrity: |
Making decisions based on fairness,
honesty, morality and ethical principles. |
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| Diversity: |
Respecting and appreciating the
differences found among individuals with intellectual and
developmental disabilities, their families and our colleagues. |
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| Excellence: |
Providing an environment in which
distinction and merit are affirmed, celebrated and enhanced. |
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60
years ago...
A small group of parents joined
together to obtain services for their developmentally disabled children
who were then considered ineducable. Originally, their coming
together was a response to a two line classified ad in the New
York Post placed by the mother of a then 5-year-old child.
At first only a few parents responded, but within a year, word
of mouth, a number of brief news items, and a human-interest story
in the newspaper united hundreds of parents.
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These parents were accustomed to
hearing words such as, "Your child is not normal and will
never be able to learn anything." "He/she will
be a burden to you and your family." "Institutionalize
him/her now." They did not listen. Instead, they
banded together to support one another, and to provide their children
with every opportunity to grow. This was the beginning of
AHRC, the New York City Chapter of NYSARC, Inc. (formerly the
New York State Association for Retarded Children).
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vivid memory of that time not too long ago when the developmentally
disabled were treated as outcasts, has been an underlying force
propelling AHRC to advocate for the rights of the disabled, to change
legislation and public policy, and to develop programs for new and
emerging populations that are underserved.
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Today, with a
membership comprised of thousands of individuals - primarily persons
with developmental disabilities, their families, friends and professionals
in the field - AHRC NYC is one of the largest consumer-based
nonprofit organizations in the City. It is governed by a
Board of Directors, two-thirds of whom must be relatives
of persons with developmental disabilities, working together with
a staff of dedicated professionals.
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Aim...
The aim of AHRC's work has been
to offer disabled individuals day to day living that is as rich,
absorbing and worthwhile as possible, with an emphasis on helping
individuals live up to their maximum potential in the community.
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In the past
sixty
years AHRC has helped to create a life for people with developmental
disabilities that did not exist previously. Some of AHRC's “firsts” include:
- The
creation of the first medical clinic for children with then
called mental retardation
at Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital in 1950;
- In
1954 the establishment of the first sheltered workshop in the
U.S. funded by a federal grant;
- In
1970 the opening of the first group residence in New York State
on East 16th Street in Manhattan;
- The
ceding of portions of its special education program to the New
York City Board of Education to use as a model for public school
special education classes in 1974;
- In
1985 the creation of the first sibling network to deal with
the issues of sisters and brothers of individuals with
developmental disabilities;
- In
collaboration with the City University of New York (CUNY) the
creation of the CUNY Consortium on Disabilities in 1989;
- The
opening of the first licensed out-patient alcohol and substance
abuse clinic for people with developmental disabilities in 1994;
and,
- In
1995, the opening of the first facility in the State providing
ongoing community based services to people who are disabled
as the result of incurring a traumatic brain injury.
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AHRC currently
serves 11,000 individuals with intellectual and other developmental
disabilities, and their families. The array of services offered
to individuals and their families by the organization is unsurpassed.
Won’t
you join us by becoming a member and help us so that we can continue to make the world
a better place for people with developmental disabilities.
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