The formation of our chapter provided an opportunity for parents to talk about and plan for ways to support their children who were excluded from typical places in the community such as schools and workplaces. At that time it was public policy to deny an education to children who were unable to “benefit” from public instruction. This led The Arc to create training or activity centers housed in donated spaces such as church basements and vacant community buildings. Acadia Building in Frear Park and School 10 in Troy, New York were sites that provided some educational instruction, but mostly crafts and recreation. These formative centers were not funded by government dollars, therefore parents and friends engaged in many fundraising activities such as bake sales to cover program expenses. In the wake of New York State’s initiative to close its abusive institutions, The Arc partnered with the Office for Developmental Disabilities (formally OMRDD) to create community options such as group homes and sheltered workshops.