About Us
We currently serve over 500 children and adults in Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and St. Tammany parishes.
Our Mission
The Arc of Greater New Orleans works to secure for all people with intellectual disabilities opportunities to develop, function, and live to their fullest potential.
Our Purpose
To create, through education, advocacy, and support, a greater New Orleans community that includes, accepts, and celebrates people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our Values
- PEOPLE FIRST: We believe people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are defined by their strengths and abilities. All people are entitled to respect and dignity. People with IDD have a right to self-determination to make decisions about their own lives and to be fully included in all aspects of society.
- INTEGRITY: We are fair and ethical in all we do. We are trustworthy, honest, and transparent. We are solution-focused. We do what we say and hold others accountable. We are self-aware and forgive mistakes.
- COLLABORATION: We are one team working towards one goal. We value the input of employees, participants, caregivers, families, and stakeholders. Strong partnerships are critical to our mission. Team members lead by example and adapt as needed.
- INNOVATION: We believe in our mission and strive to provide excellence. We are always seeking to improve and change. We value new ideas and seek input from all team members. Innovation leads to diversification and a greater impact on our community.
- AUTHENTICITY: We encourage authentic working relationships. Authenticity begins with self-awareness of your competencies and values. We encourage open dialogue based on trust, tolerance, and inclusivity in a safe environment.
Our Services
ArcGNO provides a variety of services to individuals of all ages. We assist parents of infants (0-3 years) to find effective therapies and treatments. We help students explore their options for the future after high school.
We provide job coaching and placement for those seeking employment, day activities that enable individuals to be active and integrated into the community, and direct support professionals to assist with a variety of tasks in the home and around the community.
How The Arc Was Started
A group of concerned parents joined forces in 1953 to provide better lives for their children who, because of developmental delays and intellectual disabilities, were not able to participate in everyday society. At the time, little was known about intellectual disabilities. It was very common for doctors to counsel parents to place their children in institutions for most of their lives.
Emboldened by their collective desire to raise their children in the home and their refusal to accept that institutionalization was the only option, groups around the country organized and implemented action plans at the local level to give their children fuller lives in the community.
Initially groups used the acronym A.R.C. and called themselves Associations for Retarded Children.
In 1992, however, growing sensibility to the hurtful connotation of the “R” word moved them to abandon the acronym and instead to use the word Arc.
An arc is a curved pathway. Planets and electricity, for instance, move in arcs. It is the mission of the Arc to accompany our clients throughout their life journeys so that, by following their own pathways, they can achieve their goals and dreams.
Our independent local 501(c)(3) nonprofit is known as Arc of Greater New Orleans. We currently serve over 500 children and adults in Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and St. Tammany parishes.
ArcGNO is an equal opportunity provider and does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, age, religion, origin or gender. We provide language assistance services and auxiliary aids and services.
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Address
925 Labarre Road
Metairie, LA 70001
Phone
(504) 837-5105
24 hours: (866) 690-4013