2025 Public Policy Platform

Our Mission:

“The Arc Maryland works to create a world where children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have and enjoy equal rights and opportunities.”

2025 Priorities

I.  Funding for Community Supports

Direct Support Professionals are the backbone of quality community services. Accomplish rate finalization and full funding of service rates to stabilize community DD services so that community providers and people who self-direct their services can attract and retain a qualified DSP workforce.

Advocate for service definitions, policies, and DDA practices that are developed or revised with true stakeholder input, and are responsive to the needs of people served through the system of care and supports.

Ensure that the finalization of the DDA rate study incorporates the data and feedback on rates that will support and align with the stated goals of the state; to leave no one behind. Rates must be adjusted for inflationary increases and mandates over time, and adequately address expenses associated with infrastructure, mandated reporting, vacancies, training, record-keeping, billing, and meaningful services provided to individuals whom the state has made a commitment to keep healthy and safe.

II.    Equitable Access to Services & Supports

Examine statutes, waiver components, regulations, policies, procedures, and operational guidance and advocate for changes to ensure equity and access for people with IDD.

Funding levels and policies should ensure access to services for people with complex needs (behavioral and medical) to be supported in communities and settings of a person’s choice, now and as they age.

Advocate for the language access and inclusion of underserved populations in all systems of support throughout the state, and a Developmental Disabilities Administration that is responsive to the diverse needs of people with IDD and their families.

III.    DDA Waiting List and Autism Waiver Registry

Advocate for full implementation of the End the Wait Now Act with service funding for those on the DDA Waiting List and Autism Waiver registry who are eligible for services.

Hold the Department accountable for ensuring there is both system capacity (qualified Community Providers) and accurate, complete information for people who are considering service models and components.

IV.    Transitioning Youth

Ensure families are involved in the transition process and have access to accurate, realistic, and balanced information about their choices for support after high school exit, including what is possible through Community Provider supported services and Self-Direction.

Ensure transition information is provided to all individuals with IDD in a language they understand, starting at age 14.

Advocate for meaningful high school opportunities that train, prepare, and educate students for successful transitions to adult life outside of school.

Fix systems to and ensure full funding so that all Transitioning Youth (TY) who exit the school system in the year of their 21st birthday have the supports they need to participate in their community, jobs, and life-long learning and/or higher education to ensure meaningful adult life and opportunities beginning July 1 of the student’s exiting year.

V.    Education and Children’s Services

Ensure progress with the Blueprint and that students with IDD have access to inclusive, quality, safe, free, and appropriate public education (primary, secondary, and post-secondary education) where they receive appropriate accommodations to participate in all aspects of early and ongoing education.

Create and support policy and funding that ensures children with IDD are included in neighborhood childcare, before and after school programs, and camps, regardless of the nature or level of disability.

Advocate for family-centricity to include training and education opportunities for parents and opportunities for peer-to-peer/family-to-family connections for support and resource sharing. Advocate for early childhood screening in childcare settings for earlier identification of disabilities and timely intervention.

Ensure students are safe to learn. Promote the end of seclusion and restraint, and provide educators with the training and support they need to support students of all abilities. Establish compliance of all schools with effective emergency evacuation plans that are designed to quickly and safely exit all students from school buildings in emergencies, and demand that all students have access to a single point of entry, with ADA-compliant clearances and door switches.

VI.  Employment & Meaningful Days

Increase opportunities for competitive, integrated employment at fair wages for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and ensure funding is sufficient to provide quality community supports with an “employment-first” focus.

Examine funding for services to ensure costs are sufficiently covered for the provision of quality, person-driven services and supports.

Note: “Employment first” does not mean “employment only”. People who do not want to work, who are retirement-ready, or who choose to access community activities during the day, or further their education, should have the supports they need for health and safety, and/or to meaningfully participate in their communities.

VII.    Access to Affordable Housing

Increase safe, affordable, and accessible housing so people with IDD can live in inclusive and safe communities of their choice. Eliminate housing discrimination through awareness, policy, and advocacy for enforcement of related laws.

Increase awareness that Medicaid may not be used to subsidize room or board for people supported in DDA Community Living programs. Assistance is needed: from developers, policymakers, and funders to prevent homelessness and to ensure people can live in their communities.

VIII.    Law Enforcement and Justice

Support police training efforts that reduce stigma, increase safety, and inspire relationships of acceptance and support for all Marylanders. Advocate for sufficient funding for training focused on positive interactions between people with IDD and first responders.

IX.    Civil Rights

Close the remaining state institutions and oppose the expansion of use of State Residential Centers (SRCs) including respite care.

With consideration to the fact that some individuals in society require the assignment of a guardian to ensure a person’s health and safety, The Arc shall advocate for the rights of individuals to have alternatives to guardianship fully explored and exhausted, prior to a guardianship assignment. Advance the use of Supported Decision Making as a legal option and alternative to guardianship.

Advocate for individuals under guardianship to have information on what rights they maintain and what rights guardianship impacts. Advocate for reviews of guardianship, for less restrictive alternatives, periodically in our guardianship statutes.

Protect voting rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and oppose measures that would have discriminatory effects on people with IDD, such as signature and ID requirements to vote.