AHRC New York City offers individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities a wide range of programs, services and supports tailored to meet their specific needs. For information on services offered at AHRC New York City, please visit the Services section of this website.
If you would like general information about the services offered by AHRC New York City, please call our Referral and Information Center at 212-780-4491.
Yes. AHRC New York City has a staff of qualified professionals available to conduct evaluations such as psychological; psychiatric; and psychosocial evaluations. Nursing, nutrition and podiatry evaluations; occupational, speech and physical therapy evaluations. Arrangements can be made to provide other evaluations as needed. For more information, please call our Referral & Information Center at 212-780-4491.
After decades of advocacy across the nation and internationally by individuals served and their families, the term “mental retardation” is no longer used. In its place, the terms intellectual and other developmental disabilities are utilized in both common parlance and now in State and Federal law. AHRC New York City chose to continue using the acronym AHRC, as we have been known as such for over 75 years. We no longer use the words that the letters AHRC once represented.
We believe in: Advocacy * Humanity * Reimagination * Change
AHRC New York City is a leading advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our advocacy ensures people with IDD have the support they need to lead full and equitable lives. We focus on meaningful change through innovative services and solutions that improve education, expand living options, create employment opportunities, and deepen community engagement. We stand with people with IDD to amplify their voices and support their ability to thrive.
We are dedicated to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities— physically, emotionally, and socially.
Our work is rooted in a shared sense of humanity and community. We embrace the unique strengths and needs of each person, offering individualized supports that promote dignity, connection, belonging, and independence. By celebrating the power of difference, we remain committed to building an inclusive world where every person with IDD is valued and respected.
Curiosity, creativity, and optimism drive us to influence and shape policies in visionary ways.
We reimagine what is possible for people with IDD by exploring new approaches and embracing evidence-based practices. Through technology, collaboration, and forward-thinking strategies, we deliver supports and advocate for policies that enhance lives. From inclusive education to person-centered care, our efforts create lasting impact and inspire transformative change.
Our goal is clear—changing perceptions about disability to advance true inclusion.
We challenge outdated narratives and break down barriers to equity for people with IDD. Through open, honest dialogue and decisive action, we address the complex issues they face and promote systemic change. We envision a future where people with IDD are valued as contributors and community members, with full access to the resources they need to succeed.
AHRC New York City is a Chapter of The Arc New York, (formerly known as NYSARC, Inc.) was founded in 1949 to serve a critical mission – to improve the quality of life for people with developmental and other disabilities. What started as a support group and day nursery for families coping with these disabilities has grown to become the largest nonprofit in New York State serving those with developmental and other disabilities.
AHRC New York City has over 100 locations throughout the five boroughs of the City. You may visit our locations page to see these facilities. AHRC New York City’s headquarters is located at 83 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038, and is easily accessible using public transportation.
By Train: J,M,Z,4 or 5 to Fulton Street / 2 or 3 to Wall Street / A or C to Broadway/Nassau
By Bus: M1 or M6 to Cortlandt Street / M9 or M15 to Maiden Lane
By Ferry: Whitehall Terminal (South Ferry)
AHRC New York City is a Chapter of The Arc New York, (formerly known as NYSARC, Inc.) The Arc New York is the New York State Chapter of The Arc of the US. With 36 chapters across New York State, The Arc New York supports more than 60,000 individuals, employs 30,000 people and counts a membership of more than 110,000.
A complete listing of other chapters of The Arc New York is available on The Arc New York’s website.
AHRC New York City offers a variety of employment opportunities including, but not limited to Direct Care, Clinical, Social Work, Teaching, Finance, Case Management, and IT. To learn more, please visit the Careers section of this website.
We encourage all interested job candidates to use our Online Job Portal to review and apply for available positions. The online portal contains a regularly updated list of positions that are currently open and which allows you to submit your resume for consideration using an on-line application process. To view our Online Job Portal or to learn more about the application process, please visit the Careers section of this website.
An intellectual or developmental disability is a disability that originates before the age of twenty-two and is expected to continue indefinitely. It is attributable to a condition such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, neurological impairment, autism or traumatic brain injury, when such conditions result in impairment of general intellectual functioning or adaptive behavior. Impairment of intellectual functioning means that a person has an intellectual quotient (an IQ as measured by a standardized IQ test) which is two or more standard deviations below the mean (an IQ of 70 or less using a scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15). Impairment of adaptive behavior means that the person has overall adaptive behavior which is significantly limited in two or more skill areas (communication, self-care, home living, social skills, community use, self-direction, health and safety, functional academics, leisure and work). These limitations are a direct result of the person’s cognitive deficits.
A developmental delay is slowed or impaired development in a child who is under five years of age and who is at risk of manifesting a developmental disability because of the presence of one or more of the following: chromosomal conditions associated with intellectual and developmental disabilities; congenital syndromes associated with delay in development; metabolic disorders; prenatal infections and significant medical problems; low birth weight; postnatal acquired problems known to result in delays; or delays of 1.5 standard deviations or more in the area of communication, and/or self-help, and/or social emotional, and/or motor skills, and/or sensory development, and/or cognition. AHRC NYC recognizes that all individuals, regardless of their limitations, have a capacity to learn new skills and live a worthwhile life. AHRC NYC primarily serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism and traumatic brain injury; and serves children whose developmental delays are significant and attributable to many causal factors.
The prevalence rate of intellectual and developmental disability in the United States is between 2.5 and 3 percent of the general population, or an estimated 6.2 to 7.5 million people based on the 1990 census. Intellectual and developmental disability is 12 times more common than cerebral palsy and affects 100 times as many people as total blindness. One out of every ten families is directly affected.
There are currently hundreds of known organic and acquired causes of intellectual and developmental disabilities. For instance, the most common chromosomal cause is Down syndrome, whereas the most commonly known single gene cause is Fragile X syndrome. But these are only two of many different etiologies and make up a small percent of those diagnosed with the condition. In addition to the long list of organic causes, adverse environmental and social factors (which include poverty, lack of prenatal care, drug or alcohol abuse during pregnancy resulting in FAS – fetal alcohol syndrome) are placing greater and greater numbers of individuals at-risk for intellectual and developmental disability. In spite of all that is known, in 50 percent of all cases of intellectual and developmental disability there is no known specific cause.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined as an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external force, resulting in a change in level of consciousness or an anatomical abnormality of the brain, and does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital, degenerative or induced by birth trauma. However, service provision can include individuals with strokes, aneurysms or other acquired brain injury. Every incident of head injury is different. In each individual with TBI the type of injury, the locus of the primary brain damage, the ensuing secondary damage, and the resulting pattern of deficits in the areas of physical, cognitive, psychosocial and/or executive functions, are unique. Factors creating even more diversity are the age of the individual upon sustaining the injury, “who” that individual was prior to injury, the care (if any) received immediately following the injury and subsequent care, and the physical and psychosocial environment surrounding that individual before and after his/her injury.
Regardless of individual differences, a number of underlying facts implicit in the definition of traumatic brain injury constitute a common ground. A traumatic brain injury occurs suddenly in the course of normal development leaving a person significantly changed. Damage to the brain is usually diffuse and widespread (not typically resulting in one kind of deficit), but is not global. And, the brain’s ability to be aware of the changes incurred is frequently impaired. These underlying facts that constitute the basic commonality between individuals with TBI are the very same facts that make these individuals different from those born with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. Although many of these same specific deficits acquired by individuals who have sustained injuries, if viewed in isolation, are also characteristics of individuals born with developmental disabilities, the gestalt is quite different and their needs are different.
If a person acquires a traumatic brain injury before the age of 21 and manifests developmental problems, that individual is considered to be developmentally disabled. Although quite arbitrary, if the injury occurs at the age of 22 or later and results in disability, it is not considered to be a developmental disability.
The CDC reports that Falls are the leading cause of brain injury (28%); Motor vehicle crashes (20%); Struckby/against events (19%) and Assaults (11%). Men are twice as likely as women to suffer traumatic brain injuries.
For more information on services offered for people with Traumatic Brain Injury, please visit the Traumatic Brain Injury section of this website.
There are many ways that you can support AHRC New York City and the people we provide services to:
The AHRC New York City Foundation offers a variety of options for donating funds in support of our cause.
Visit our website’s Community Partners page to learn about the variety of ways you can help.
You can also support what we do by following us on social media and helping to pass along vital information through your own personal network.