Who is LARC?

LARC is a private not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization incorporated in 1964, that provides residential (community homes and supported living apartments), day supports (supported employment, small business enterprise, individual placement, day support options), and community services (educational and family supports, respite, camp, advocacy, and social enrichment) to a diverse population of consumers with a variety of developmental disabilities. LARC is committed to the philosophy of consumer-direction and has been in the forefront in the State of Connecticut for enhancing Quality of Life for individuals and their families.  Since 1994, LARC has embraced the philosophy and principles of self-determination and in 1995, LARC developed and implemented a set of Guiding Principles to support the Organization's Vision of "Community for All", and to establish a standard of services which promotes self-determination throughout the Organization.

LARC as an employer of 128 employees, performs payroll functions for these employees as well as 120 LARC consumers.  LARC administers an annual budget of  5.5 million dollars and is a fiscally responsible organization with up-to-date computer technology, internal and external financial tracking, recording, and reporting systems and processes, as well as consistent, detailed personnel practices.  LARC provides services to multiple funding sources (e.g. Department of Mental Retardation, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, Department of Social Services, local school districts) and has extensive experience in meeting varying financial tracking and reporting requirements (e.g. COR).

LARC is a 'PEOPLE' based organization, with over 40 years of supports to individuals within the Litchfield communities.

Guiding Principles

We believe that everyone, including people with disabilities, has a right to unobstructed access to their own life. To this end, we:

- assist people with disabilities to be skilled at making decisions, acting on decisions, and understanding repercussions.
- extend authority, power and resources to the individual in ways that enable them    to control their own destiny.

• We provide services that fit the age, personality, culture, habits, and lifestyles of the individual reflecting normal life rhythms and routines in a way that honors a positive image of the person at all times.

• We believe that everyone, including people with disabilities, has the right to make his/her own choices about issues that affect his/her personal life. We will respect the informed decisions people make about their own lives even if we do not agree.
• We believe that understanding an individual’s rights and needs are essential to accomplishing our mission.

• Community interconnection is a central need to people’s life. To this end we will:

- work for universal physical accessibility in which people can get into and move about in the place they have a right to be as citizens of a community.
- take it as part of our job to assist people to pursue acquaintances, friendships, and/or romantic partnerships with others in the community as a healthy interconnection.
- support only living and working situations that are respected and valued by the general community, including fair wages, freedom from harassment, freedom from pity, and expression of appreciation.

• We will use existing resources from the community whenever possible before utilizing any "special" service designed specifically for people with disabilities.

• In the work we do we will, at all times, make it possible for people to:

- choose with whom they will spend free time.
- choose with whom they will live.
- choose who will and who will not be invited to assist them, provide services for them, or control their personal resources.

• We believe that people should not be segregated into activities not available to the general public - or - assigned by others to a congregate setting. To this end, we will:

- assist people with disabilities to make their own personal life choices including those that are not traditional, or particularly "easy":
- recognize that a set of choices that includes only congregate settings is not appropriate for any life choice.
- support group living, working, or leisure situations only if,
1.) the person desires such a setting,
2.)the person has complete control over with whom she/he will share this setting, 3.) the person has complete freedom to choose where in the community this setting will be, and
4.) such a setting is one that is available to all in the community.

• Everyone, including people with disabilities has the right to determine how his/her personal resources will be spent or used.
• People also have the right to have their best interest’s dictate how others will use their funds when assistance is necessary. We will respect and encourage these rights at all times and will spend people’s money only for:

- supports, services, and goods that are delivered.
- activities/situations that will be life enhancing.
- activities/situations that increase the ability of the person to participate in community settings for work, residence, leisure, or other activities involving community connection.

7. We provide only services that will benefit people’s physical, emotional, spiritual, and reputational well being.

• The services we provide for people with disabilities:

- do no harm to the individual.
- do not feel demeaning to the individual.
- do not create a negative or devalued image of the person to others in the community.
- will be provided until deemed no longer necessary.

• We involve others beyond human service professionals.
• We place no limits, other than what is legally and morally acceptable, on what a person proposes as a goal or the methods we use to meet those goals.
• We believe that every single person who works for, or receives services from this agency is in a process of growing, developing skills, making choices, and becoming more interconnected with the community.

• We do not place limits on what a person is capable of accomplishing if he/she is motivated to do so.

We believe public understanding of the rights and needs of individuals with mental retardation is essential to the accomplishment of our mission.