The Center for Linking Lives is:

A centralized convening space, which—thanks to its location on public transportation routes and ample free parking—makes in-house programming and training more accessible than ever before to the communities we serve, and increase the number of those communities

An amenity-rich location, including recreation facilities, restaurants, banking, community and retail spaces, and even a house of worship—all resources to which our client population deserves access, and from which they benefit greatly

The home to a 1,000-square-foot retail storefront, parcels, which exclusively offer products developed by people with disabilities

A place where our client population can learn and practice skills that will make them valuable in the workplace, and move them many steps closer to real independence and inclusion

A family support center, where families can gather, attend groups, and get the information and other resources and assistance they need

A place where the public can meet, interact with, and get to know people with disabilities—and welcome them into the broader community

Three Ways The Center for Linking Lives Will Make a Difference for Individuals with Disabilities

The Center overcomes isolation. One of the most powerful lessons to emerge from the recent global pandemic is that isolation hurts. Many of the people who use our services have been isolated their entire lives. Many of the people who use our services have been isolated their entire lives. This hurts—let’s see what we can do to fix this.

The Center fosters inclusion. People with disabilities deserve the opportunity to live and work with the rest of us, as part of our communities. In traditional support systems, people with disabilities only see people who are paid to see them. That also hurts—but it can also be fixed.

A Legacy of Discovering Abilities, Changing Lives

At Northeast Arc, we know where we’ve come from and, more important, we know where we’re going.

The “Arc” was founded in 1954 by families of children with developmental disabilities—families who wanted to raise their sons and daughters as full members of their communities, mostly in cities and towns north of Boston.

Those families were truly pioneers. They, and their successors over the decades, challenged the conventional wisdom that said that their children could not be educated, would not live to become adults, could not lead satisfying lives. Working together, these families created support systems—from nursery schools to employment programs—that enabled their children to attend public schools, develop friendships, live where they wanted to live, and earn a paycheck.

Gradually, those support systems expanded to include a broader range of disabilities. Today we serve individuals in almost 200 Massachusetts communities. We offer a wide variety of programs, including autism services, deaf services, early intervention, day and employment services, family support, personal care assistance, and recreation, residential, and transition services. For example:

We positively impact the lives of 10,000 people annually, providing more than 300,000 hours of direct nursing support so that people can live independently in their homes.

We support 8,000 people living independently or in a house supported with staff.

We sponsor both an Autism Support Center and a Family Resource Center, aimed at supporting families in need of these kinds of help.

We sponsor thousands of hours of recreational opportunities annually, and provide specialized adaptive technologies—including tools that have enabled scores of children to communicate with their families for the first time.

What does it add up to? A far-ranging and effective system for discovering abilities and changing lives. We don’t simply deliver solutions. We help the people we serve choose for themselves how to live, learn, work, socialize, and play.

And by so doing, we help them become full participants in their communities.