The Arc of California partnered with Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare to launch Project Connect, a free 24-hour support line for people with developmental disabilities, their caregivers, family members, and support team. The Project Connect telehealth support line is staffed by graduate students in the Stony Brook School of Social Welfare and supervised by licensed social workers. The graduate students offer a wide range of support services including counseling, wellness checks, depression screening, and referrals to community services.
The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. Since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Stony Brook University and The Arc have been working together on developing solutions to some of the most urgent concerns facing this population, starting with how to prepare caregivers of individuals with unique needs for a hospital stay should they get diagnosed with COVID-19.
The School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University emphasizes social justice, helping students to understand concepts of social justice from the level of individuals’ experiences to that of the global society. Its curriculum offers a foundation in health care upon which students can pursue numerous areas of interest in social welfare practice and policy.
This was reported by The Arc of California on November 23, 2020.
Contact information: Julia Ballantyne, Media Contact, The Arc of California, 1225 8th Street Suite 350, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-390-4671; Email: julia@thearcca.org; Website: https://thearcca.org
Contact information: Stony Brook School of Social Welfare, 101 Nicolls Road, Level 2, Room 093, Stony Brook, NY 11794; 631-444-2138; Website: https://socialwelfare.stonybrookmedicine.edu/
