The Arc of Washington Trust Fund is a 50 + year old trust which provides funding to researchers in the field of intellectual and other developmental disabilities.  The Trust Fund is administered by a Board of Administrative Trustees, of which some members are appointed by the Board of the Arc of Washington State and others are elected by the Trust Fund Board from throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The Trust Fund also conducts a student stipend program, which continues each year.  The stipends, of up to $5,000 each, will be awarded in an initial installment of $800 in the summer of the award year and the balance in equal installments at the beginning of each academic session (semester, trimester or quarter) to upper division or graduate students in institutions of higher education in the states of Washington, Oregon, Alaska or Idaho, who have a demonstrated interest in the field of intellectual or other developmental disabilities.  Funds will be released to the institutions for distribution to the students for payment of student tuition, books and general living expenses, provided the schools provide evidence that the students continue to be enrolled (except the summer installment when enrollment is not required).  The Trust Fund hopes that this will allow colleges and universities to attract and retain students interested in working in the field as researchers, teachers or practitioners.

Each applicant should have a particular career interest in work relating to intellectual or other developmental disabilities.  In addition to completing this application form, each applicant must submit a statement of his or her interest in the field of intellectual or other developmental disabilities, academic and other qualifications, achievements, and both immediate and long-term goals.  Letters of endorsement from no fewer than two faculty sponsors and official transcripts from the colleges or universities the applicant has attended must accompany each student's statement.  

Applications, along with all the other required documents and materials, must be postmarked no later than 12 Midnight in the locality where mailed on February 28, 2010. Extensions will not be granted.  Applicants will be notified of the Arc of Washington Trust Fund Board’s decision by April 30, 2010. Late applications, recommendations or transcripts will not be accepted.

For more information on the stipend program please contact Diana Stadden, Arc Trust Fund Administrative Assistant by calling (360) 357-5596 or toll-free (888) 754-8798 or by email at diana@arcwa.org.

The 2010 - 2011 application for the Arc Trust Fund Stipends will be posted in October 2009.

Five Stipends Awarded by The Arc Trust Fund

The Arc of Washington Trust Fund announces five awards, each in the amount of up to $5,000 for the full 2009‑2010 academic year to each of the following students:

This year the Stipend Committee is recommending 4 awards, each in the amount of up to $5,000 each, providing that the recipient remains in school for the full 2009-2010 academic year, to each of the following students:

 Roxanne Ocampo, Western Washington University, Speech Language Pathology. Ms Ocampo is currently a student at Skagit Valley College planning to transfer to WWU to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders followed by a master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology. She came here from Mexico 8 years ago, learned English and volunteered in her community including as a teaching assistant for bilingual children with developmental disabilities. Having a family member with a speech disability has helped her realize how important one’s ability to communicate verbally with others is.

Rachel Ann Montague, Seattle Pacific University, School of Psychology, Family and Community. Ms Montague is a third year graduate student in a doctoral program in clinical psychology. Her interest in intellectual disabilities began when she worked on a behavioral consultation project at the University of Washington. She is working on a research project investigating the differences in behavioral regulation strategies between children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and typically developing children. She has also worked as the clinic coordinator at the University of Washington Autism Center. She sees herself in a career providing clinical services such as evaluations, consultation and therapy for children with a variety of developmental disabilities and envisions herself leading research projects throughout her career.

Colleen A. Kidney, Portland State University, Ph.D. in community Psychology. Ms Kidney has chosen to focus her research on various projects surrounding adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). She is working on several research projects and her thesis project consists of working with a group to create reliable and valid measures of sense of community, autism identity and well-being. Through her graduate school career she intends on further investigating how scientific gatekeepers silence the voices of people with IDD as well as how community can foster positive outcomes such as well-being. She believes that through involvement in research, community and policy making, that the voices of all people can be heard and valued.