For over 75 years, The Arc Minnesota has worked across state to provide advocacy and information for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and their trusted supporters. Grassroots and self-advocacy are pillars of The Arc Minnesota’s public policy work, and our goal is to help people with disabilities, their family members, and allies feel informed and empowered to lead policy, social, and systems change.
This page will help you get a quick overview of ways to take action by learning about public policy, contacting your legislators and learning about The Arc Minnesota’s 2023 Legislative Agenda.
We promote and protect the human rights of people who have IDD through systems and social change.
Through individualized advocacy and informed choice, we support a lifetime of full inclusion in community for people with IDD, their families, and trusted supporters. Public policy is essential to that.
Our policy goals for the 2023 session focus on promoting human and civil rights of Minnesotans with intellectual and developmental disabilities, advancing equity, and supporting true belonging in the community.
Our legislative priorities address various Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). SDOH are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age. Inequities across SDOH have a major impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life.[i]
Our 2023 policy goals cover four main areas.
Review our full legislative agenda online or download it (English PDF)
You can also find one page summaries of all of these items here.
Connecting with elected officials is a powerful way to make change in Minnesota and across the country.
Finding out who represents you is an important first step to reaching out.
Meeting with legislators and sharing your story is important. Here are some quick resources on that!
We have even more incredible resources about becoming an advocate in our Advocacy Toolkit!
Working together, we can take action to create change, and build power in Minnesota’s disability community.
Capitol Connectors Teams build awareness about issues that impact Minnesotans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). These teams create a statewide, grassroots advocacy network. This network and the Capitol Connectors Teams focus on public policy, systems reform, and disability justice.
The council is a group of people working together to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. The Regional Quality Councils (RQCs) were developed to examine and improve services for people with disabilities in specific regions and encourage community involvement.
Capitol Connector combines new surrounding Minnesota’s public policy issues that impact the disability community with local and national news and events. It comes out alternating Fridays.
Not everyone has the capacity to connect with legislators or engage in their communities directly, and that’s okay! By donating to The Arc Minnesota, you can still support our public policy advocacy.
With questions or for more information about ways to engage in legislative advocacy with The Arc Minnesota, contact Public Policy Director Julia Page at info@arcminnesota.org.
Our values guide our shared work to change systems and build an inclusive society in Minnesota and beyond. The Arc Minnesota is committed learning from and being led by disabled people who have diverse lived experience.
Review our position statements to learn more about The Arc Minnesota’s position on different topics, systems, and more.
Are you looking to find out more about getting involved with The Arc Minnesota? Start here!
The Arc Minnesota offers support in English, Somali, and Spanish. Additional language and accommodations are available. We have offices across Minnesota to support you in the place you call home.
Call us at 952-920-0855 or toll free at 833-450-1494.
Email us at info@arcminnesota.org.
You can also sign up for our newsletters to stay informed on public policy, self-advocacy, and general news from The Arc Minnesota.
Looking to volunteer? You’re in luck! We’re always looking for volunteers at The Arc Minnesota and Arc’s Value Village.