Located in the rural, Adirondack region, this Arc also never developed many facility-based services. In
addition to the services described below, the agency is moving people out of group settings into
community settings.
The roots of this agency are in early intervention. Agency staff were very involved in lobbying for the
legislation to extend services to children ages birth-3 years. Staff now work with nine school districts in
their efforts to arrange home-based early intervention services for families. One family who receives
such support are the Charbonneau's, who have two children with severe medical conditions. Staff at
Franklin Arc have arranged for in-home services such as speech therapy and occupational therapy, as
well as adaptive equipment, such as a computer. Staff have assisted the family to obtain SSI as well as
funds for the purchase of special medical equipment. In addition, staff have provided emotional support
to the family, as well as advocacy support, in their ongoing dealings with the numerous service providers
in their life.
In a state which includes many respite facilities, it is notable that Franklin County Arc's respite program
is entirely community-based.
The respite program serves families through a voucher program in which families receive support in their
homes or other community members' homes, rather than a special respite house or facility. Families are
allocated $500 for each child with a disability. If they need more money, it will be made available to
them. Parents can hire whomever they want to provide the respite, such as a neighbor or friend, or the
agency will give them a list of people in the area who are willing to do respite. The flexibility of this
program is significant to meeting families' needs, both in terms of the available money as well as the
way supports are provided. For example, one parent spent some time in Vermont in order for her child
to receive therapy; while there, Franklin County Arc paid an agency in Vermont to provide respite.
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