INARF
​​Home | login | contact us
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Corporate Committees
    • Professional Interest Sections
    • Awards & Recognition
  • Membership
    • Member Login
    • Membership
    • Member Benefits & Inquiries
    • Organizational Member Directory
    • Associate Member Directory
    • Member Job Postings
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • INARF 2022 Pre-Conference
    • INARF 2022 Annual Conference >
      • Schedule & Educational Sessions
      • Sponsor Opportunities
      • Exhibit Opportunities
      • Artisan Opportunities
      • Annual Awards >
        • Annual Awards Nominees
  • Professional Development
    • Professional Development
    • INARF DSP Series
    • INARF Leadership Academy
  • Technical Assistance
    • Technical Assistance
    • News & Information
    • Resources
  • Governmental Affairs
    • Governmental Affairs
    • INARF PAC
    • Bills Being Watched
    • Statehouse News
    • Take Action Now With VoterVoice!
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Corporate Committees
    • Professional Interest Sections
    • Awards & Recognition
  • Membership
    • Member Login
    • Membership
    • Member Benefits & Inquiries
    • Organizational Member Directory
    • Associate Member Directory
    • Member Job Postings
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • INARF 2022 Pre-Conference
    • INARF 2022 Annual Conference >
      • Schedule & Educational Sessions
      • Sponsor Opportunities
      • Exhibit Opportunities
      • Artisan Opportunities
      • Annual Awards >
        • Annual Awards Nominees
  • Professional Development
    • Professional Development
    • INARF DSP Series
    • INARF Leadership Academy
  • Technical Assistance
    • Technical Assistance
    • News & Information
    • Resources
  • Governmental Affairs
    • Governmental Affairs
    • INARF PAC
    • Bills Being Watched
    • Statehouse News
    • Take Action Now With VoterVoice!

INARF-Strength through Diversity

6/26/2014

 
To celebrate our 40th anniversary, our staff have asked members and persons from the community to share their experience with INARF. If you would like to share your experience, please contact Harley Ehrman.


INARF-Strength through Diversity 
By Steve Sacksteder, Chair, INARF Board of Directors

Diversity can lead to conflict and division in many contexts. This has often been true within trade associations, and has spelled the demise of those which value uniformity above commonality of purpose. Those associations in which differences become preclusive, and that value only strict similarities, often end up representing a small proportion of the members they represent. Ultimately, they find themselves ineffective due to their fragmentation and lack of broad support. 

Throughout its 40 years of growth and influence, INARF has thrived on the diversity of its institutional membership. What began in the early 70's with a core membership comprised of mostly local ARC chapters largely providing pre and post school age day programs, INARF now represents a membership which is extremely diverse across agencies. In many cases, member agencies are very diverse even within themselves. The 80's brought the addition of group homes and supported living agencies and related service components, as well as for-profit members. In addition to the array of child and family services including infant, early childhood and preschool services, many agencies added Head Start, Healthy Families, clinical therapies and other child and family services to their menus. INARF members in the 90's and 2000's expanded their vocational options to include Welfare to Work, veterans' services and other employment programs. Also within this timeframe, many INARF agencies have become extremely active in housing development and in public transportation. A number of INARF facilities also include substantial industrial operations. 

The common threads that secure us all together is our passion for enabling people with disabilities and other challenges to be self-dependent and naturally interdependent, our belief that all people merit access to the full array of life's opportunities and experiences, and our drive to enrich lives through the services and support of INARF agencies. Whether the INARF member is a non-profit, for-profit, day program only, child and family services only, case management only, Arc affiliated or not, residential only, group home/waiver/supported living only, housing, public transportation or one of the various combinations thereof, INARF's membership is sewn together by its commonality of purpose which motivates its diverse membership to united action and impact. 

INARF can be proud of its diverse, yet united history and will continue to progress and succeed through this variety as a challenging future unfolds. 

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    January 2011
    September 2009
    December 2007

© Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Inc. (INARF)
    615 North Alabama Street, Suite 410, Indianapolis, IN 46204
    (t) 317-634-4957 / (f) 317-634-3221 / Contact us by email
ANCOR Proud Member Small