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| 1953–1973 | 1973–1981 | 1981–1992 | 1992–2011 | 2011–present |
The Arc is an organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 39 American states.[1]
National Association for Retаrded Children[]
1953–1973[]
The ARC was initially founded in 1953 as an advocacy group serving the needs of children with disabilities, more commonly those who are high support needs autistic, have Down syndrome, and have cerebral palsy.
National Association for Retаrded Citizens[]
1973–1981[]
As the scope of the organization shifted, its name was changed from "Children" to "Citizens" to reflect its broader outreach to all age groups.
ARC: Association for Retаrded Citizens of the United States[]
1981–1992[]
Increased stigma surrounding the word "retаrded", due to both its increased use as a pejorative and having been supplanted by modern clinical terminology, caused the group to de-emphasize the ARC's full name in favor of its acronym.
The Arc[]
1992–2011[]
The Arc, now capitalized regularly, formally stripped its name of its acronym in 1992 due to increased public awareness and growing cultural sensitivity toward the aforementioned term.
2011–present[]
