Robinson said ARC has been on a mission to “retire the ‘R’ word” and banish the term retarded from common usage, the focus of his recent opinion piece published in a county newspaper. “We view the ‘R’ word, retard or retarded,” as obsolete as well as a discriminatory term that is “a slur word, hateful.”Robinson introduced ARC clients, including Ronnie Wood, as well as Heritage Valley ARC Director Carol Wood and Board Director Katie Harrison. He also added a greeting to “longtime friend Dorothy Smead,” who with the late Hazel Kay was a founder of ARC-Ventura County.Robinson also thanked the Santa Paula Police Officers Association for their donation of a barbeque to the local ARC facility, and the firefighters who assembled it. “Santa Paula Police and Fire are always there to support us,” he noted.
Council honors ARC-Ventura County/Developmentally Disabled Month
March 26, 2008
Santa Paula News
A nonprofit serving the developmentally disabled that was founded in Santa Paula was recognized by the City Council at the March 17 meeting.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA nonprofit serving the developmentally disabled that was founded in Santa Paula was recognized by the City Council at the March 17 meeting. Fred Robinson of Santa Paula, the CEO of ARC-Ventura County, received the proclamation recognizing Developmental Disabilities Month in Ventura County from Councilman John Procter.Developmental disabilities affect more than seven million children, adults and their families nationwide, and the “most effective way to overcome problems associated with understanding” the issue is providing information about same, said Procter. “We encourage all citizens to realize that individuals with developmental disabilities should be afforded opportunities in the community,” including full access to housing, education, employment and recreational activities, and foster community opportunities so that those affected can function as independently and productively as possible. Procter said that more than 800 individuals receive educational, vocational and residential services through ARC-Ventura County services.“ARC of Ventura County started in Santa Paula way back in 1953 when a group of parents who had children with developmental disabilities started to meet in church basements, then classrooms” before becoming a recognized nonprofit organization, said Robinson. Although the organization moved its headquarters out of the city several years ago, an ARC of Heritage Valley/Hazel Kay & Dorothy Smead facility opened on North 10th Street featuring a “plaque honoring the original board of directors.”
