Who is The Arc of Tennessee?

The Arc of Tennessee is a grassroots, non-profit, statewide organization on intellectual & developmental disabilities. It was founded in 1952 and is affiliated with The Arc of the United States. The Arc of Tennessee is also a membership organization composed of people with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities, their parents, friends, and the professionals who assist them in reaching their goals.

The Arc of Tennessee values diversity and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, age, geographic location, sexual orientation, gender or level of disability.

What is intellectual disability?

• An intellectual disability is a condition, not a disease.
• One of every ten American families has a member with an intellectual disability.
• More than 7.5 million people in the United States are identified as having an intellectual disability.
• It is estimated that there are 178,643 Tennesseans with intellectual disabilities, of which 8,250 are currently receiving services and supports.
• People with intellectual disabilities can care for their needs and be educated and integrated into their communities.

To read about The Arc's history, please visit our History page, an account by Pat Butler, a long-time and current member of The Arc of Tennessee Board.

The Division of Mental Retardation Services (DMRS) has developed protocols to guide the determination of service requests. Read the DMRS Protocols.

Read the DMRS Family Training Schedule.

Read The Arc of Tennessee's 2008-09 Annual Report in Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download it from our Legislative Monitor page.

Read the Developmental Disabilities Task Force Executive Summary.

ArcLink Roommates - Roommates is a new tool now available for Tennessee citizens with intellectual disabilities already receiving residential funding from DMRS to be able to, along with their family, friends, Independent Support Coordinator or Residential Provider, enter information about themselves in order to search for and locate one or more potential roommates. This is a safe website that does not list personal details like name, address or phone number. You can access the web site by going to www.thearclink.org. Once you are at the home page you can click on the "Roommates" tab at the top of the page and then click on "Sign Up". Fill out the brief "application" and submit for approval. You can expect an approval within a day or two of your request. ISCs and provider agency staff must use an organizational email address or have the supervisor send an email explaining why that is not possible to Betty Chester. Once you are approved for the website you can enter your information and/or do a search for a potential housemate of two. If you have any questions about the web site or how it might help you or someone you know please feel free to contact Barbara DeBerry or phone 615-253-6888.

This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee.