The Arc of Texas Public Policy Priorities
We prioritize policies and legislation that advance the equality and civil rights of Texans with IDD.
Quality Community Services & Supports
Expand Access

Ensure all Texans with IDD—regardless of their support needs—have the services and supports they need to live, learn, work, and socialize in the community of their choice.

Community Living

Support innovative, best-practice approaches that will shift the focus from institutional service-based models to community, person-centered models that uphold the intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead decision.

Promote Independence

Promote a long-term services and supports system focused not just on health and safety, but also on quality of life and self-determination.

High-Quality Supports

Implement person-centered planning and individualized supports through a well-trained and fairly compensated workforce.

Reduce the Waitlist

Expand the availability of fully inclusive community-living options by prioritizing funding the waitlist, and Texas promoting independence waiver slots.

Inclusive Education
Equitable Education

Ensure all students with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive a free appropriate public education that includes fair evaluation, ambitious goals, challenging objectives, the right to progress, individualized supports and services, high-quality instruction, and safe and supportive learning environments with access to the general education curriculum in age-appropriate inclusive settings.

Cohesive Support

Support parents, families, and students as essential partners in education and transition to adult life.

Post-Secondary Access

Ensure adults with IDD have access to high-quality, inclusive postsecondary educational experiences and receive appropriate accommodations to earn meaningful credentials and skills that lead to competitive integrated employment, independent living, and community participation.

Competitive Integrated Employment
Equitable and Fair Employment

Enhance opportunities for working-age people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to obtain and maintain integrated employment that pays a competitive wage based on their preferences, skills, and interests.

Capable and Ready Workforce

Promote the expectation that Texans with IDD are valued members of the workforce and capable of meeting the same employment standards, responsibilities, and expectations as other working-age adults.

Address Barriers

Reduce employment barriers including inadequate transportation, lack of training and educational experiences, insufficient coordination across systems, and discrimination.

Inform and Promote

Increase awareness about and access to information about work incentives, benefits planning, and employment services.

Access to Civil Rights and Justice
Promote Civil Rights

Advance the protection, enforcement, and awareness of the civil, legal, and service rights of Texans with IDD.

Inform and Empower

Provide individuals with IDD, their families, and supporters with the information and skills to support lives free of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Train and Support

Ensure individuals with IDD who are witnesses, survivors, suspects, and inmates have the information about and access to accommodations and supports to advocate for themselves.

Promote Justice

Promote accessibility, impartiality, and fair treatment in all areas of the criminal justice and civil legal systems, including reasonable accommodations and standards of due process.

Promote Self-Determination

Increase awareness and knowledge of disability, self-determination, self-advocacy, and support needs that promote dignity, freedom, and decision-making by individuals with IDD to prevent unwarranted guardianship.