The Arc of the United States is launching its “eXplore eRecycling” initiative, funded by a $465,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation. Through the initiative, 10 chapters of The Arc, including The Arc of Hamilton County, will be awarded funds to help develop or enhance electronic waste management programs that offer community-based employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).  

“The eXplore eRecycling initiative is a wonderful chance to show how individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities can excel in cutting edge jobs while earning competitive salaries. By bringing together the disability and the e-recycling communities, we hope to create more employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.

“We are honored to be chosen as one of the ten agencies in the entire United States that will have the opportunity to participate with this initiative.  Not only are we excited to make a difference for the Chattanooga community in the environmental sense; but we are prepared to set an example for our surrounding communities as we prove that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are an important and successful part of our work force,” said Christina Pearce, deputy director of The Arc of Hamilton County.

Each sub-grantee will be awarded a grant to start or expand their electronic waste recycling program.  Throughout the program, sub-grantees will engage in peer learning and network with one another. The peer learning aspect of this grant will allow sub-grantees to share expertise and knowledge regarding topics pertinent to e-recycling and employment with each other. They will also have the unique opportunity to interact with members of an Expert Advisory Committee made up of leaders from the e-recycling, environmental, disability, and business fields. These experts will provide their knowledge and perspectives to identify practice and policy recommendations that further electronic waste conservation efforts and competitive employment outcomes for people with I/DD. 

Members of the Expert Advisory Committee work for a variety of organizations including: National Youth Leadership Network, University of Maine’s Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Disability Rights New Jersey, University of Vermont-Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, Basel Action Network, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc., Good360, Arc Thrift Stores, National Center for Electronics Recycling, Northeast Recycling Center, Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities, and NISH.

The sub-grantees are listed below in alphabetical order:

• AHRC Nassau – New York, NY
• Genesee ARC – Batavia, NY
• Kreider Services - Dixon, IL
• Seneca Cayuga ARC – Waterloo, NY
• SouthStar Services – Chicago Heights, IL
• The Arc of Clarion and Venango Counties – Clarion, PA
• The Arc of Greater Haverhill-Newburyport – Haverhill, MA
• The Arc of Hamilton County – Chattanooga, TN
• The Arc of Madison County – Huntsville, AL
• The Arc of the Virginia Peninsula, Inc. – Hampton, VA

The Arc advocates for and serves people with I/DD, including Down Syndrome, Autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy and other diagnoses. The Arc has a network of over 700 chapters across the country promoting and protecting the human rights of people with I/DD and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes and without regard to diagnosis.