Arc changes name, unveils logo

DOWNEY - The Arc Los Angeles & Orange Counties is proud to unveil an adjustment to our name and a new logo.Arc of Southeast Los Angeles County has expanded to provide support and hope for many people in the Greater Los Angeles and Orange County region. We are now officially The Arc. Our new logo reflects our energy and commitment for the rights of people with disabilities. The Arc's national organization and 800 chapters throughout the country are adopting the new logo. Arc is not an acronym and should be spelled out - it is just a word. We simply provide advocacy and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The history of our names spans the decades of growth of an organization that for 56 years has served people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community. In the 1950s-60s, our name was Association for Retarded Children; in the 1970s-80s our name changed to the Association for Retarded Citizens. Our name changed once again in 1993 to Arc of Southeast Los Angeles County. This was an important change because participants in The Arc voted to eliminated the "R" word from the name and just call the organization Arc. The "R" word was eliminated forever because of the degrading nature of its use and even the federal government passed a law changing all documents to be people with "intellectual disabilities." The new brand and identity will take us forward as a movement and command the kind of respect and recognition on a regional basis that the people we serve deserve. The respect and recognition, in turn, will allow us to continue to achieve our goals for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For more information, contact The Arc at (562) 803-4606, ext. 223, or go to TheArcLAOC.org. -Contributed by The Arc

********** Published: November 17, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 31