The Arc of Frederick County - History

History

In 1965 and 1966, The Arc advocated for and obtained both state and county government funding to create the Jeanne Bussard Workshop and the Scott Key Developmental Center. Both agencies continue to operate today and provide employment and day program services for adults with developmental disabilities. In 1975, The Arc established its first group home for adults with developmental disabilities to move from institutional care facilities to the community. In 1979, The Arc spun off its residential programs to create a new non-profit, Community Living.

Since 1979, The Arc of Frederick County has been under the leadership of Joanna Pierson, Ph.D. Under her guidance in 1982, The Arc created Service Coordination, a state-wide division of the agency, to provide independent service coordination systems for people with developmental disabilities in Maryland. What began as a project initially serving 173 people across the state grew into one of the nation’s top models of providing person directed coordination services. In 2006, The Arc spun off Service Coordination to form its own non-profit agency, Service Coordination. At that time, The Arc of Frederick County was serving over 13,000 adults and children with developmental disabilities throughout Maryland.