RELEASE: Disability advocates letter to DSHS urges alternative campus uses for Rainier School

/in , /by Stacy Dym

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

September 12, 2025

CONTACT: Stacy Dym, stacy@arcwa.org, Executive Director of The Arc of Washington State

Closing the Rainier School: Disability advocacy organizations urge DSHS Secretaries to seek alternative campus uses

SEATTLE, WA – The Arc of Washington State and seven affiliated local chapters of The Arc sent a letter this week to the interim and incoming directors of The Department of Social and Human Services (DSHS) urging them to continue their transition away from the existing, outdated institutional model for care of people with developmental disabilities. Attached to the letter, The Arc included their full answers to the four questions posed in a DSHS ninety-day public comment period that resulted from SSB 5393: Closing the Rainier School.

In their recommendations for how to mitigate the impacts of closure, The Arc reminds the state of Washington’s long history of supporting hundreds of previous residents and families during successful transitions from RHCs to community-based care over the past several decades. They cite the specific transition planning guidelines that are outlined in numerous legislative reports from 2019 through 2023 and urge the prioritization of person-centered planning. They acknowledge that while some institutions have provided necessary care in the past, we now have the capacity and responsibility to offer something better: person-centered, inclusive services that support individuals to live, work, and thrive in the communities of their choice.

Despite fervent, decades-long advocacy to close congregate institutions like Rainier School (also called a Residential Habilitation Center, or RHC) led by people with intellectual and development disabilities who are directly at-risk of institutionalization, the state legislature allowed logistical concerns to delay the closure of Rainier School and impede our progress towards a more just, compassionate, and inclusive system of care for people with developmental disabilities.

The Arc wrote in their concluding answer of the public comment:

“The Rainier School campus represents valuable state assets that can better serve Washington residents through alternative uses aligned with evidence-based practices and civil rights principles. The current campus utilization represents a significant underuse of state resources and flies in the face of current research on outcomes and civil rights protections for people with developmental disabilities. Any alternative use should maximize the productive capacity of this substantial state investment. A thoughtful transition process can honor the economic needs of Buckley, protect state employment, and redirect these resources toward other populations who could benefit from comprehensive residential services delivered in a more appropriate and effective manner.”

About The Arc of Washington State

In 1936, The Arc of Washington State was formed by parents of institutionalized children with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) who believed their children deserved more – to be included in their communities and to pursue fulfillment and happiness just like everyone else. The Arc has played a pivotal role in changing the public perception of disability and demanding better opportunities for every child’s future. The Arc’s mission is to promote and protect the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively support their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. Learn more about The Arc of Washington State at arcwa.org.

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DSHS Letter - Rainier Public Comment - 9.9.2025
A group of approximately 50 adults gathered for a group photo and smiling at the camera

Washington State hosts first bipartisan national Developmental Disabilities Legislative Symposium

/in , /by Stacy Dym

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 18, 2025

CONTACT: Stacy Dym, stacy@arcwa.org, Executive Director of The Arc of Washington State

 

Washington State hosts first bipartisan national Developmental Disabilities Legislative Symposium

SEATTLE, WA – Washington state Representative Jamila Taylor (D-30) convened state legislators from across the country in Seattle June 11-13, for the first bipartisan national Developmental Disabilities Legislative Symposium. Legislators worked together over three days to address critical federal and state-level policies impacting the care and treatment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families across the country. The symposium was coordinated by The Arc of Washington State.

“This week we established a national working cohort of legislators who will prioritize people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families,” said Representative Jamila Taylor, symposium co-host, chair of the bipartisan Developmental Disability (DD) Advocacy Caucus in the Washington state legislature, and the twin sibling to her brother who has a developmental disability. “With our national debate about the role of Medicaid and state responsibilities coming to heightened levels, Washington state’s DD Advocacy Caucus is leading the national conversation about how we can collectively call out systemically ableist, arbitrary, and oppressive policies that keep people with IDD and their families from thriving.  I am proud of the work we’ve done and am ready to move this cohort and our country forward from talk into action.”

On Friday, June 13th, the third day of the symposium, members of the Washington IDD community were invited to join legislators for a day of roundtable conversations. Attendees discussed strategies for addressing gaps in services, storytelling for policy change, housing options, technology access, and how to meet the needs of people with IDD from diverse cultural backgrounds.

The symposium was coordinated by The Arc of Washington State, the state’s oldest grassroots advocacy organization representing people with IDD and their families. “This kind of gathering of community members and elected officials is an essential part of the democratic process,” said Stacy Dym, Executive Director of The Arc of Washington State. “In order to ensure that we are building solutions that center the humanity of people with IDD, we must first start by sharing our stories and creating space for authentic connection and dialogue. I look forward to working alongside our legislative champions to address the community’s top priority issues in 2026 and beyond.”

Representative Darya Farivar (D-46), a founding member of the Developmental Disability Advocacy Caucus, supported the logistics of the symposium. “It was a privilege to gather with so many dedicated community members and legislators to discuss issues and strategies to strengthen a responsive, community-based, person-centered system of care,” said Representative Farivar. “This gathering was an opportunity to celebrate the resilience and permanence of disability identities, the influence of cultures, and knowledge systems which have shaped and continue to impact our care systems at large. Now, we must work together to protect the civil rights and essential, life-saving services for people with IDD.”

Although DD Advocacy caucus member Representative Stephanie Barnard (R-8) was unable to attend in person, she welcomed the symposium’s attendees with a short video: “We are finally building a cohort that is dedicated to prioritizing the IDD community,” she told to legislators gathered. “Events like this create transformational change. This issue transcends party lines because we feel this to our core. Our community as a whole will benefit from our collective focus on people with developmental disabilities. Why are inclusive societies so strong? Because we’re better together.”

About The Arc of Washington State

In 1936, The Arc of Washington State was formed by parents of institutionalized children with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) who believed their children deserved more – to be included in their communities and to pursue fulfillment and happiness just like everyone else. The Arc has played a pivotal role in changing the public perception of disability and demanding better opportunities for every child’s future. The Arc’s mission is to promote and protect the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively support their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

Learn more about The Arc of Washington State at arcwa.org.

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