The Arc Community Advocates

Community Advocates was founded in 1952, known then as the Kalamazoo Association for Retarded Children, by parents of developmentally disabled children as a way to provide special programming for their children and educate the community on the needs of agencies.;They advocate for persons with a developmental disability so that they can participate fully in all aspects of community. Their primary function is to act as a link between developmentally disabled people, their families and the agencies that serve them. Community Advocates staff and volunteers refer people directly to agencies that can help their specific needs. In this regard they do not provide direct service or duplicate other offerings in the community. Their other primary functions are to advocate for persons with developmental disabilities, educate the community and impact the mental health and educational systems for the benefit of the developmentally disabled population.