The Arc offering scholarship | News, Sports, Jobs

PARKERSBURG — The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley is offering a scholarship for local students pursuing a career in a field that improves the lives of people with disabilities.

Scholarships will be available of up to $2,000 for fulltime students and $1,000 for part-time students.

The application deadline is June 1. An online application is available at http://thearcmov.org.

The Arc’s goal is to ensure a satisfying and productive life for children and adults with intellectual, cognitive, and related developmental disabilities by providing programs and services that enable, empower, and encourage them to live, learn, work, worship, and play in their community along with their peers and neighbors.

“We are proud to support students who dedicate their lives to supporting people of all abilities in our community,” Liz Ford, executive director of The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley, said. “There are many fields that support people with disabilities in their goal to become fully immersed in their community.”

The Arc meets the needs of the youngest residents of the community and their families through the West Virginia Birth to Three program, supports high school students in the special education program who want to job shadow at The Thrift Shop or People First Cafe.

The Arc provides meeting rooms for training and education, and rooms for socialization, and provides advocacy and support. Painting and jewelry making classes, life skills and healthy eating classes, Instruction in Self-Advocacy classes, and opportunities for young people to socialize with their typical peers or adults to host People First Groups are provided at The Arc.

“Graduating students entering the work force and finding their career have an energy passion,” Ford said. “We want to encourage all local high school and college students to apply and allow us to make a small but important investment in their education.”

People with disabilities need well-educated advocates, teachers, and service providers who understand their unique needs and will both listen to them and support them in reaching their goals, she said.

Previous scholarship recipients work in speech therapy, occupational, nursing and special education.