Origination: 

CARC is a non-profit organization founded in November 1954. The goal of CARC is to develop and implement individual programs that are designed to assist each participant to function maximally in the least restrictive and most self-directed manner.  CARC exists today to meet the unique needs of persons with development disabilities and their families needs with our Residential Services, Children Services, and Vocational Services.

Mission Statement:

CARC was founded on the principle that each individual is entitled to an opportunity to prosper in all facets of developmental and independent functions and to share the same rights, privileges and responsibilities afforded all other citizens.

Philosophy:

Our nation, from its inception, has been committed to providing for the basic education and welfare of its citizens. As our society has progressed through the years, more and more emphasis has been placed on the special (extraordinary) needs of those handicapped citizens assisting them in reaching their maximum potential.

Goal:

Our goal is to develop and implement individualized programs that are designed to assist each person to function maximally in the least restricted and most self directed manner.

Service Region:

CARC provides services for Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis Parishes. This area encompasses 4,960 square miles with a total population of 283,492. Of this, 54,891 persons, according to the 2000 census, are five years and older with some form of disability.

Enhancement of Quality of Life:

We currently provide work opportunities for 179 clients. These opportunities include but are not limited to sheltered workshops, supervised working crews, enclaves and supported, competitive employment through contracts with local businesses.

These work opportunities provide our clients with the means to be productive members of our society, as well as, changing the biases associated with mental retardation. More and more of the local businesses are utilizing our work forces which, allows contact and interaction with non-disabled residents of our area.

The CARC program goals and objectives is derived from the belief that each person has a developmental capacity which is life long. CARC believes each person should receive services, which maximize their competency in each developmental domain so that they may enjoy as normal a life as possible in the most self-directed and least restricted manner possible.

The agency consists of three major programs – Adult Services, Community Services, and Child Development Services.

Adult Services provides community living options and various work/training models to adults with developmental disabilities. In the Community Home environment, residents are given 24 hour supervision while receiving training in self care, independence and daily living skills. Such skills training include socialization, recreation, hygiene, grooming, money management, cooking and home management.

In the vocational area, each participant is offered work/training that promotes as normal a work environment as possible according to the participant’s abilities, interests and needs. The purpose of this program is to help develop the participants’ self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth by giving them an opportunity to be productive, make choices and feel needed and accepted.
Sheltered Workshops are CARC-owned facilities where a variety of contracted work/training options are provided ranging from arts and crafts production to shipping-pallet manufacturing.
Community Work Crews perform janitorial services and grounds maintenance throughout the parish under the supervision of a CARC employed supervisor.
Enclaves are where a group of participants work at a place of business supervised by either a CARC employee or a supervisor provided by the business. The participants pay may come directly from the place of business or from CARC through a contract with that business.
Supported Work provides participants with the opportunity to gain individual employment in the community. Participants are given assistance in completing job applications, interviewing and one-on-one training by a CARC employee for a specified time once a job has been secured.

Community Services provides services and supports for those people with developmental disabilities living in the community in their own or in family homes. In the Supervised Independent Living program, clients are assisted in locating apartments or homes fully integrated into the community. This program offers assistance only when called upon by the client, with occasional visits by CARC QMRP’s as needed. In the waiver services area, which includes the NOW, Children’s Choice, and Elderly and Disabled Adults waivers, participants are provided with the necessary supports and services to maintain their independence and continue living in their homes as fully integrated members of their community. These Attendant Care Services include Respite, PCA and Companion Services delivered by CARC direct support workers under the supervision of a CARC QMRP. Community Services also offers Respite, PCA and SIL services under limited contracts with the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities and Long Term Personal Care Services to adults with disabilities not limited to developmental disabilities.

Child Development Services provides special instruction for children from birth to three years of age who have been determined eligible under Part-C through the multidisciplinary evaluation. The Early Steps Program provides special instruction in the most natural environment, the home. That may include the design of learning environments and activities that promote the child’s acquisition of skills in a variety of developmental areas, including cognitive processes and social interaction. Home-based Special Instruction Teachers are also responsible for curriculum planning; providing families with information, skills and support related to enhancing the skills development of the child; and working with the child to enhance the child’s development.

Diversity and Equal Access:

Mental Retardation is a diversity in itself and is not discriminatory in who it afflicts and CARC is not discriminatory in who they assist.

It is the policy of CARC to provide equal opportunity employment to all employees and applicants for employment. No person working at any of the company’s facilities is to be discriminated against in employment because of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or handicap.