VERO BEACH — On March 6, the SunUp ARC Advocacy Committee left on their quest to Tallahassee to meet with government officials for “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day” at the Capital.
The ARC of Florida is working to make changes to state laws that are long overdue. Senate Bill 142 and House Bill 1119, the Intellectual Disabilities Bill, would remove the term “mental retardation” and replace it with “intellectual disabilities” in state statutes.
During their stay in Tallahassee, the Advocacy Committee met with Representative Mayfield and legislators and spoke at press conferences discussing the bill to end the “R” word in Florida.
Concern over the need for the high school transition process to include the involvement of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities and other services for students to better equip parents of special needs children was also discussed.
To learn more about End the R-word in Florida, please visit www.NoRword.org.
SunUp ARC is a non-profit, 501(c)3 agency dedicated to meeting the needs of people with developmental disabilities in Indian River County.
For information on SunUp ARC, please call (772) 562-6854, ext. 219.
SunUp ARC has chartered Special Scouts Troup 550, The Peer Group and The Advocacy Committee, is partnered with Special Olympics and Special Equestrians, collaborates with Dogs for Life and Treasure Coast Community Health, and is a United Way partner agency.