Organizations We're Talking To
We are currently in discussions with disability advocacy and workforce organizations, including The Arc, to explore ways to connect people with disabilities to meaningful employment opportunities
About Organizations We're Talking To
The Arc is the largest community-based organization in the United States advocating with and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. Founded in 1950, The Arc’s network includes more than 540 state and local chapters serving communities across the country, and has helped advance landmark disability rights laws including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Medicaid protections.
Through The Arc@Work — The Arc’s national disability employment initiative — corporations have partnered with The Arc since 2015 to recruit, hire, and retain talented job seekers with disabilities. Local chapters provide direct vocational services, supported employment, job coaching, and pre-vocational training in their communities.
Why ALIGN partners with The Arc
The challenge in disability employment is rarely about whether the talent exists. It’s about reaching that talent at scale, and matching it with employers who can hire and retain successfully. The Arc has spent 75 years building deep relationships with disabled individuals and families across every US state. ALIGN brings a national employer pipeline, accommodations consulting infrastructure, and digital matching capabilities.
Together:
- Job seekers served by The Arc and its chapters get access to ALIGN’s employer network and placement services.
- Employers hiring through ALIGN can tap into The Arc’s nationwide pipeline of pre-trained candidates with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- The Arc’s chapters get a streamlined connection to private-sector employment opportunities that complement their own programs and state vocational rehabilitation referrals.
- Communities get more disabled workers in competitive, integrated employment — the policy goal The Arc has championed for decades.
What this partnership does not do
We’re transparent about scope. The Arc is a separate organization with its own mission, governance, and chapters that operate independently as their own 501(c)(3) entities. ALIGN is not a chapter of The Arc, does not represent The Arc, and our collaboration does not constitute an endorsement of any specific ALIGN service or employer by The Arc or its chapters. The Arc’s primary focus is people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; ALIGN serves a broader cross-disability population.
What our collaboration does do: it creates a clear, intentional pathway between The Arc’s network and the employer side of the market — something both sides have wanted for years.
How job seekers can engage
If you’re already working with a chapter of The Arc, ask your chapter staff about ALIGN’s open roles and training cohorts. If you’re not yet connected to The Arc, you can find your local chapter through The Arc’s chapter directory, or you can [start with ALIGN directly] and we’ll help you navigate.
How employers can engage
Hiring partners working with ALIGN get coordinated access to candidates from The Arc’s network alongside our broader pipeline. [Schedule a discovery call] to talk about what roles you’re trying to fill and how the partnership can support you.
How chapters of The Arc can engage
If you’re a chapter executive or employment program lead at a chapter of The Arc and you’d like to plug your participants into ALIGN’s employer pipeline, we have a dedicated chapter onboarding process. [Connect with our partnerships team] to learn more.