LifeAbility Talk: Get Your Eat On!

There’s a gourmet LifeAbility Talk coming to The Arc! Join us for Get Your Eat On! It’s all about spicing up our lives with more exciting and delicious food. LifeAbility Talks are given BY self-advocates, FOR self-advocates, with the goals of empowerment, enrichment, and lots of fun.

Wednesday, May 8th, 10:30 – 12:30 PM at The Arc (13949 W Colfax Ave, Bldg 1, Suite 150, Lakewood 80401)

Please RSVP by May 6 to [email protected] or (303) 232-1338 to reserve your spots!

No matter what our abilities are, enjoying delicious food unites us. It can dazzle our senses and bring us joy. So, let’s turn our office into a gourmet restaurant for a day and talk about how to have fantastic food for ourselves regularly. We’re talking about really flavorful food with unique ingredients and accessible to people of different abilities. If someone else buys groceries and prepares food for you, let’s discuss inviting them to join you on a journey toward food you will both look forward to.

Our guest speaker is Lisa Ferrerio, The Little Chef, and she will share tons of great ideas that are simple, accessible, and affordable. You’ll even get to sample her creations and leave with amazing recipes! Check her out on YouTube!

Because Lisa has a disability, she can share ways to make the kitchen more accessible. We’ll discuss simpler and safer food preparation using adaptive cooking tools and gadgets. You’ll also receive a list of “staple” ingredients that make a variety of meals tastier, while not busting the budget. 

After the session, create your own gourmet lunch at our Get Your Eat On Sandwich Bar! There will be gourmet breads & spreads, savory meats & cheeses, and loads of other ingredients.

To learn more about this session click here!

Six More Days Left to Join Us in Launching Teen LifeA bility!

Our donors are amazing! Thanks to the efforts of several individuals who have shared our message about T een LifeAbility with friends, family members and coworkers, we’ve just reached 66% of our fundraising goal. 

We’re striving to raise the remaining $2,500 by the end of April because this series of fun, interactive discussions driven by and for teens with I/DD will help them see all that they can achieve.

“Limitations are only put on our kids by society. It is important for teens to build their own circle of friends, be educated along with their peers, find jobs and be active in their communities. That is what gives your teenager the empowerment to move into adulthood and live the life they are determined to live.”

-- Theresa Gonzales, Parent of a child with a developmental disability

If you’ve already made a donation for Teen LifeAbility, THANK YOU! 

If you haven’t had a chance to contribute yet, join us by making a donation TODAY. Your gift of $25, $50 or $100 will make a difference in the lives of area teens with I/DD!

Help Us Disseminate a Short Housing Survey!

The Arc has partnered with The Council on Quality and Leadership to conduct research to find out where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families live and why they decided to live there. 

This research includes an online survey, which takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. 

Who qualifies for this survey?

• A person with I/DD

• A family member of a person with I/DD 18 years and older

Participants will be compensated with a $15 gift card.

Questions? Contact Carli Friedman at [email protected] or (407) 733-6676. 

Autism Spectrum Disorder - Share Your Experience

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) would like to talk with parents and healthcare providers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to learn about your experiences. CDPHE, along with a workgroup representing parents and providers, is gathering information about ASD. Learning about your lived experience is very important to them, including symptoms, challenges, treatments you’ve tried and their effects. 

They'll ask for suggestions on ways CDPHE or other organizations can better help, and include those suggestions in a report they share broadly.

CDPHE's main goal is to understand what life is like for those with ASD and their families and then share that understanding with others. They will also ask about your perspectives on using cannabis for symptoms of ASD, but you don’t need to know anything about that, or even have an opinion.  

PLEASE share this with anyone you think might be interested. 

If you are interested, please fill out this form to arrange a time for a focus group or individual interview. Names and identifying information will NOT be shared or included in any reports, other than approximate ages of those with ASD. 

If you’d prefer being completely anonymous, they will have two calls open to anyone:

Call (877) 820-7831 and use code 829812 at one of those times.

If you have any questions contact Daniel Vigil at [email protected] or (303) 303.692-2714.

Support The Arc While Shopping at Amazon

Mother's Day is on Sunday, May 12! Now's the time to start thinking about what you want to get for all the mothers in your life.

Did you know that using AmazonSmile is a great way to support The Arc? Simply click here to shop for all your Mother's Day gifts and Amazon will donate to The Arc - Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties! Win-win!

Each eligible purchase you make will result in a donation to The Arc. Donations are made by the AmazonSmile Foundation and are not tax deductible by you.

For more information please see the complete AmazonSmile program details.