The Mission at The Arc of the Ozarks is to support individuals with disabilities in directing their own lives as valued members of the community. They were estabilished as a not-for-profit organization in 1964. At that time the goal was a pre-school program for children with mental retardation. The association was also involved with the first State School for the developmentally disabled individuals in Missouri, which is now Greene Valley State School for the Severely Handicapped.
The Arc was instrumental in obtaining a Regional Diagnostic Center for Southwest Missouri, now known as the Springfield Regional Center, a part of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, which provides and procures services for individuals with disabilities in any area of their lives.
Thanks to this hardworking group of volunteers, significant changes arose in the community's attitudes toward individuals with developmental disabilities and their needs. They provided community-wide public information forums for parent and sibling support groups each month, and helped with the passage of Senate Bill 40 in Missouri, an advanced and innovative program allowing Greene County to provide assistance for group homes and workshops.
The Arc now provides a vast array of services ranging from residential, employment, community integration, day programming and recreation services. Today this agency is serving 700 individuals in 21 Southwest Missouri counties, it is positioned to support the next generation.
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