Once in a Lifetime ChanceIf you register today for the convention, the early registration rate will continue to apply for New Mexicans. There are many ways for New Mexicans to take advantage of this event. If you volunteer, you receive a discount in the registration cost. There are still stipends for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Forms for volunteering, to request a stipend, to apply to be a self-advocate exhibitor and kids activities can be found here. For general information about registration and about the convention, go to www.thearc.org and click on the convention button. Register for Kids’ Activities at the National ConventionKids’ Activities are scheduled during all convention sessions so Mom and Dad, or other caregivers, can attend sessions. There will also be a Movie Night for Kids on Friday so parents and caregivers can attend The Arc Nation Pow Wow. Children between the ages of 5 and 14 can sign up for the Kids’ Activities. Teens between 15 and 18 years can sign up to be volunteers and help with the Kids’ Activities. All the activities are for kids with or without disabilities. Download our Kids’ Activities flyer in pdf format . Top Ten ListThe Arc of New Mexico is excited about hosting the 2008 National Convention of The Arc. We look forward to people visiting our city and enjoying our state. We want to share information with you about your visit to Albuquerque that you might find interesting. Maybe it will entice you to come! Here is our top ten list of things about Albuquerque that you probably don’t know: 10. Albuquerque was founded in 1706 and is 302 years old. It is a mile-high city. 9. Early settlers stayed in Albuquerque because they found an abundant supply of pinto beans growing here. 8. Albuquerque was originally spelled “Alburquerque,” but Anglos had trouble pronouncing all the “r”s so the first “r” just sort of disappeared. 7. Albuquerque hosts the Festival Flemenco Internacional de Alburquerque each June. http://festival.nationalinstituteofflamenco.org/ 6. The University of New Mexico ski team was the overall NCAA champions in 2004. UNM is a perennial power in this sport. 5. Race car drivers from Albuquerque have won more times at the Indianapolis 500 then any other city and they are all Unsers. Back in a day, Jerry Unser Senior was the proprietor of the “last filling station” between Albuquerque and Gallup. His sons learned to drive on the West Mesa. The Unsers opened the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque. http://www.unserracingmuseum.com/ 4. Speaking of the West Mesa; there are extinct volcanoes and hundreds of petroglyphs. http://www.nps.gov/petr/ 3. The Academy Award winning movie this year, “No Country for Old Men,” was filmed in and around Albuquerque. http://www.abqstudios.com/ 2. The famed “Albuquerque Box” makes Albuquerque one of the greatest hot air ballooning venues in the world. That is why Albuquerque is home to the International Balloon Fiesta every October. http://www.balloonmuseum.com/ and http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/feature/abq-box.htm
1. In April, 1975, Microsoft was founded in Albuquerque by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.
The New Mexico State question: Red or Green?
News from the 2008 National Convention Host CommitteeThe theme for the 2008 National Convention of The Arc is “Telling our Story – Weaving our Future.” This captures the essence of the story telling traditions of the people of New Mexico and the notion that we learn who we are from our stories. Our stories lead us to our future.
Download our February flyer in pdf format .
Make your plans now to attend “The Arc Nation Pow Wow”
Events at The Arc of New MexicoPersonal Plan FacilitationIndividuals who are newly allocated to the Development Disabilities Waiver can choose to access Personal Plan Facilitation. DDSD pays for the plan facilitation so the individual does not have to use their waiver budget to pay for it. This is very good because the allocation process is often confusing and stressful. Personal Plan Facilitation, during the allocation process, enables individuals and families to do some pre-planning before making important decisions including whether to choose the traditional Developmental Disabilities Waiver or Mi Via, New Mexico’s new self-directed waiver. Personal Plan Facilitation gives the individual, their family and friends, the opportunity to envision the life the individual wants. Later, this information will help them develop their waiver service plan. Individuals currently receiving services on the Developmental Disabilities Waiver can purchase Personal Plan Facilitation through their ARA (annual resource allocation). This can be done anytime, not just when planning for their team meeting. It creates the opportunity to bring together the people the individual selects to explore how they want their life to go. It does not have to involve the tradition team members. Individuals who are using Mi Via, the self-directed waiver can also purchase Personal Plan Facilitation from The Arc. This is a wonderful opportunity for the Mi Via participant to figure out how to creatively use their Mi Via resources to achieve community inclusion. The Arc of New Mexico strongly believes that every individual with a developmental disability, regardless of the severity of the disability or availability of support, has the right to direct his/her own future. We believe in the integrity, capacity and strength of individuals with developmental disabilities and families and trust that they know what they need. Individuals/families are the focus of planning and are the final decision-makers about their lives and services or supports. Individuals/families have the right to choose a planning process and facilitator(s) that best meets their needs. They also have the right to select and invite people that are important to them to participate in the planning meeting. The plan belongs to the individual/family to help them identify and pursue their dreams and goals. Person centered planning has become a powerful way to help people with developmental disabilities and their families achieve their dreams. The Arc of New Mexico has been facilitating PATHs for several years. We see this process as an important advocacy strategy that empowers people to envision their future in new ways. In addition to PATH, The Arc can also facilitate MAPS. For more information contact Randy Costales.
The Arc of New Mexico 2008 Legislative Priorities1. Maintain Services –
2. Waiting List –
3. Medicaid Eligibility –
4. Guardianship Services –
5. Direct Care Staff Compensation –
The Arc of New Mexico 2008 Legislative Priorities1. Maintain Services –
2. Waiting List –
3. Medicaid Eligibility –
4. Guardianship Services –
5. Direct Care Staff Compensation –
Mi Via is here!Mi Via is here! Mi Via is New Mexico’s self-directed waiver program. If you currently are receiving services through the Developmental Disabilities Waiver program or on the waiting list for this program, you will want to look at Mi Via as an option. Here are reasons why people are going to select Mi Via: * I live in a rural area and it has been difficult for me to get services through provider agencies – I’d rather hire my own staff. * I’m getting services now that I don’t want but have to have. I’d like to select the services I want and stop getting services I don’t want. * My team and my providers control my life and I don’t want that to happen anymore. * I want support for things that aren’t available through the waiver today. If that sounds like you, read more….
Here is the latest information on the implementation of Mi Via: During the 2nd week of November, people who are currently receiving DD Waiver services were sent a letter announcing the availability of Mi Via. This letter provides instructions on how to get more information if you are interested in this new program. If you did not get your letter, it may have been sent to your guardian or case manager. You can call Consumer Direct Personal Care (CDPC) for more information at Toll Free: 1-866-786-4999; In Albuquerque: 505-344-8182
Consumer Direct Personal Care is the consultant contract agency with the state. They will train consultants and make sure every Mi Via participant has a Consultant. If you want someone to be your Consultant, have them contact CDPC, Toll Free: 1-866-786-4999; In Albuquerque: 505-344-8182
Once you have chosen Mi Via, you will get a Consultant to guide you through the process. While you are planning your Mi Via services, your current services will continue. Only when your Mi Via plan and budget are approved and you have providers in place will your current services stop. Anytime during the first 6 months you can change your mind and return to the traditional Developmental Disability Waiver program. Public Partnerships is the Financial Management Agency. Once your budget is approved, they will process payments you authorize to staff or other’s that you purchase a service or a product from.
The Arc is doing a number of things to help make Mi Via happen. Here’s how we can help: * Didn’t get a letter about Mi Via and want information? Call us at 505-883-4630 or email * You have chosen Mi Via and want some ideas about how you can use it to get the support you want. We can meet with you, your Consultant and others who are helping you to explore ideas. We know how to be creative and help you come up with new ways to get what you want. * You can purchase facilitation of person centered planning from The Arc as a way to take your dreams and figure out what steps to take to make them real. Person centered planning and Mi Via are tools for you to use to have the life you want, including where to live and with whom, how to earn money through work or business, developing relationships, and being involved in your community. * Got a great plan, but not sure how to budget your resources - all of your resources - to carry it out? The Arc can facilitate creative individual budgeting. Mi Via is only one of the resources you have to get the life you want. You have others – your own income, other public programs, community resources, family resources. Make them work together. Facilitation of budgeting is a support you can purchase from The Arc. This can help your Consultant do your Mi Via budget request, too. * You and maybe others in your community need more information about Mi Via. The Arc is doing presentations all around New Mexico and we can come to your community. Through an informative and entertaining theatrical performance, “Mi Via: Who’s in the Driver’s Seat?”, we can help people understand what Mi Via is and how it works. * Having trouble with Mi Via? Maybe your plan or budget didn’t get approved and you need someone to help you get it approved. Mi Via is, after all, a Medicaid funded program and the state will apply rules and policies to the program. Sometimes, a rule or policy is applied in a way you don’t like. The Arc can help you advocate to change the state’s decision. To find out more about these ways we can help you with Mi Via, or to get any other assistance with Mi Via, call Rebecca Shuman at 505-883-4630 or email her at To be on our email list of people interested in Mi Via, email Rebecca at
The Arc of New Mexico Awarded 2nd Project of National Significance GrantThe resource center will provide information, referral and support in English and Spanish to promote positive outcomes for young people with developmental disabilities in the areas of education, employment, transportation, and healthy lifestyles. Through involvement in the project, young people will increase their chances of graduating from high school with a standard diploma, obtaining and maintaining employment, participating in community activities of their choice, and developing healthy lifestyles. The center will be “a center without walls”, coordinated out of The Arc of New Mexico’s southern office in Anthony but with activities taking place in local communities throughout the project area. The Arc of New Mexico will work with individual communities to structure services and facilities that best meet the needs of and wishes of each locale. The “center without walls” concept will be an efficient way to serve a large, sparsely populated rural area using limited resources. The project will demonstrate the effectiveness of an approach that works closely with the community in a “ground up, not top down” model, allowing communities to guide the project and decide approaches and activities tailored to each locale. Persons with developmental disabilities will be employed as core project staff as well as in mentoring and training roles. In addition, they will form the majority of the advisory committee guiding the center’s activities, demonstrating an inclusive model in which individuals with disabilities are key participants and not merely passive recipients of services.
For more information contact:
Priscilla Salinas, Project Coordinator
The Arc of New Mexico Awarded Federal Training GrantThe Arc of New Mexico, an advocacy agency for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, has been awarded a grant from the United States Department of Justice to train law enforcement personnel and prosecutors to recognize, address, investigate, and prosecute instances of abuse and violence, including domestic violence and sexual assault, against individuals with developmental disabilities. The project will be conducted in partnership with domestic violence programs in Las Cruces and Aztec whose staff will participate in implementing the project. There are five objectives for year one included in the proposal.
1. Nationwide research of best practices in topics such as: interviewing victims with developmental disabilities and preparing victims with developmental disabilities for courtroom testimony.
Year two objectives include:
The project will produce a training curriculum for use with law enforcement personnel in both a hard copy and on a CD-ROM.
For more information contact:
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When you come to the 2008 National Convention of The Arc in Albuquerque, New Mexico, you will have the opportunity to enjoy New Mexican cuisine, which features red and green chilies from our state. Visitors to New Mexico need to know about red and green chile. The smoke-kissed flavor of freshly roasted green chilies and the earthy fruitiness of red chile sauce are essential to New Mexican dishes, like breakfast burritos, stacked enchiladas and carne adovada. Follow it up with sweet honey and sopaipillas. When you visit one of the many excellent restaurants in Albuquerque, you’ll quickly learn to answer your server’s question, “Red or green?” with authority. Say “Christmas” if you want both red and green chile, and don’t be afraid to ask for the chile on the side if you’re not sure. The convention is November 6 – 8, 2008. For additional information about the convention, go to: 
In honor of the theme, a potter from the Cochiti Pueblo has made a traditional story teller figurine for The Arc. This figurine represents a grandmother with children clamoring about to hear her stories. The Arc story teller will be raffled off at the convention. Tickets will be $3 for 1 ticket; $5 for 2 tickets; $10 for 5 tickets. The raffle is being conducted by The Arc of New Mexico, 
