Courtney Chris, leadership advocacy manager at The Arc of Snohomish County, briefed the Mountlake Terrace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Commission on the nonprofit's programs and outreach for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, often abbreviated IDD.

The Arc emphasized direct services (one‑on‑one navigation, eligibility help for SSI and Medicaid, IEP support) and community outreach such as resource fairs, leadership training and multilingual materials.

Chris said The Arc is a chapter of state and national Arc organizations and that the local office in Everett serves people across Snohomish County. "Our mission statement fosters respect and access for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and families, giving them the power to achieve a full and satisfying life," she said. She summarized programs that include individualized service navigation, IEP parent‑partner volunteers who accompany parents to special‑education meetings, transition‑age programming for students up to age 22, supported employment assistance and multicultural outreach.

The Arc also described training and peer‑led activities: a People First chapter and self‑advocate workshops, leadership training (self‑paced online and in‑person sessions), a trauma‑informed resource guide, and recorded webinars. Chris said staff can provide presentations customized for local governments and organizations, and that the organization maintains staff who speak Spanish, Arabic and Ukrainian/Russian and have access to interpretation services.

Commissioners asked about volunteer roles, referral pathways from schools and how to reach families who do not speak English. Chris said the group conducts outreach through school‑district contacts, resource fairs and online programming and that staff can provide flyers and contact information; she identified a staff contact named Rachel for legislative‑forum coordination and district outreach.

No formal action was taken; commissioners thanked The Arc for the overview and discussed next steps for connecting school and city outreach efforts to The Arc's resources.

Ending: The Arc left flyers and materials for commissioners and offered to host or participate in community conversations and volunteer trainings; staff said they would follow up to share contact information and explore joint outreach.