Helping New Mexico Families Find the Support They Need

Families supporting a loved one with an intellectual or developmental disability may have questions that change throughout different stages of life. At The Arc of New Mexico, we provide support for families with disabilities by connecting people with information, services, and advocacy resources across the state. We work with families as they navigate immediate concerns as well as decisions that may affect the future. Our approach respects the voice of the individual while recognizing the important role parents, siblings, caregivers, and other family members can play.
Support Our Work
(opens in a new tab)

Finding a Starting Point for Your Family

Knowing what kind of assistance to look for is not always simple. Families may be learning about disability services for the first time or trying to understand new options as circumstances change. Our support for families with disabilities can help people identify resources without assuming that every household needs to follow the same path. We connect New Mexicans with information covering areas such as caregiver resources, education, healthcare, financial assistance, legal help, and Medicaid and waiver programs. Rather than expecting families to sort through every available program on their own, we provide a place to begin and information that can make the next step easier to identify.

Resources That Can Change With Your Needs

A family's questions may look very different from one stage of life to another. School, employment, healthcare, benefits, housing, and long-term planning can each introduce new decisions. For that reason, support for families with disabilities needs to recognize that circumstances and priorities can change.

The Arc of New Mexico maintains connections to resources across many areas of daily life. Families looking at school or work opportunities, for example, can use our employment and educational support resources to find programs and organizations that may be relevant. We want families to have information they can return to as new questions arise.

Planning for Financial and Legal Decisions

Some families come to us when they begin thinking about longer-term financial or legal arrangements. These conversations can involve important questions about benefits, decision-making, and how a loved one will be supported in the years ahead. The Arc of New Mexico provides services related to guardianship, special needs trusts, and representative payee assistance. Our work in these areas reflects our broader commitment to protecting individual rights while helping families understand options that may be available to them.

Advocacy That Includes Families and Self-Advocates

Families often encounter systems and policies that directly affect access to services and participation in the community. Our support for families with disabilities extends to advocacy because individual experiences can help identify where systems are working and where change is needed. Through public policy advocacy, we work with policymakers, agencies, community partners, self-advocates, and families on issues affecting New Mexicans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We believe people with disabilities need to be included in conversations and decisions that affect their lives.

Respecting the Individual in Every Family

Providing support for families with disabilities also requires recognizing the individual at the center of that support. A disability does not define a person's interests, abilities, preferences, or priorities. The Arc of New Mexico promotes self-determination and the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate meaningfully in decisions about their own lives.

Families can be valuable advocates and sources of support while still respecting individual choice. We work to strengthen that balance by providing information and advocacy grounded in inclusion, dignity, and equal rights. These principles guide our work with individuals and families throughout New Mexico.

Connecting Families With Resources Across New Mexico

Where a family lives can influence which programs and resources are nearby, but support for families with disabilities should not be limited to one part of the state. The Arc of New Mexico works statewide, serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, self-advocates, and community partners. If you are seeking information for an immediate concern or beginning to think about future needs, support for families with disabilities can provide a clearer place to begin.

Connect With Support for Families With Disabilities

If you are looking for support for families with disabilities, The Arc of New Mexico is here to help you find information and resources. We welcome questions from people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as parents, siblings, caregivers, and other family members. Contact The Arc of New Mexico to tell us what you are looking for and connect with our team.
Contact Us
(opens in a new tab)