TASA gives Southwest Alabama advocates 'a louder voice' to help those with disabilities

CHATOM, Ala. — Almost to the Chatom city line on Highway 56, behind the official town sign, is the home of an organization that touches all of Washington County: The Arc of Southwest Alabama (TASA).

TASA currently serves 34 adults in the Washington County area. Some adults live on-site in the group home, while others live in the community and are picked up on a bus route to participate in the day program.

The Washington County group is one chapter in a network that serves all ages with more than 100 different diagnoses, including Autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and various other developmental disabilities, according to the organization’s web site www.arcofsouthwestal.org.

Jessica Odom, the director of The Arc of Southwest Alabama (TASA), describes the Arc as a sisterhood of chapters all over the nation that serves people with disabilities.

"Being a part of the Arc is really powerful, and it gives you a louder voice in the state and the country to advocate for people with disabilities," Odom said.

Before joining The Arc sisterhood, the group was known as the Educational Center for Independence (ECI). In 2016, the organization changed its name from ECI to The Arc of Southwest Alabama.

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The mission of The Arc is to provide a sense of freedom and independence to citizens who have intellectual disabilities. Before the 1999 Olmstead Act passed, these adults were legally required to reside in a mental health institution. This Act revolutionized opportunities for adults with disabilities.

In Washington County, the institution serving this area was Searcy Hospital. This hospital — known as just ‘Searcy’ to Washington County natives — was a state-owned psychiatric hospital. The Olmstead Act allowed these adults to have the freedom to live alongside the community with aid from organizations such as The Arc.

Today, The Arc of Southwest Alabama’s vision is to see people make independent choices about where they live, work, and recreate. Odom said that these individuals “are still living as independently as possible but safely and effectively with a support staff.”

Services for clients include both day and residential treatment, positive behavior supports, specialized medical treatments and transportation.

Chatom is the perfect home for ARC, Odom said. She explained that one of the blessings of living in a rural community is that locals know who they are, what they do, and their needs. With a tight-knit community, the individuals TASA serves are well known, and Odom said she is proud that “people know our people.”

One example of community support this spring came in March when citizens banded together to raise money for TASA’s Special Olympics. The Washington County Calcutta, a competitive hunting event, raised over $30,000 for the adults competing in the games this year and into the future.

Odom said she believes the Special Olympics “really highlights the abilities of people with disabilities.” Odom’s face lit up as she talked about how much the individuals she serves love to attend the State Special Olympics. The games in Troy, Alabama, provide a sense of community for the athletes. In Troy, they have a chance to see their friends and meet people who have much in common.

Odom shares that one way the community can serve TASA is to be inclusive to people with disabilities.

Members of The Arc and community who get to see Odom’s impact say that she wholeheartedly embodies the vision of The Arc.

“Jessica Odom is more than just a fierce champion who works tirelessly for the rights and well-being of adult citizens with special needs," said Jessica Ross, director of Washington County Public Library. "She is a dedicated community volunteer and advocate for so many organizations in our county.”

Odom summed up her role with Arc saying, “They all have my heart, and they're each individually special in their own way, but they are just like you and me. They have the same dreams, and they want to go to the beach, and they want to go to New York City, and they want to work... They save money to be able to buy gifts for their family, and they desire the same rights as everybody else. They desire to be treated the same as everybody else, and they will absolutely steal your heart.”

Jessica Criswell, a Living Democracy student at Auburn University, is living and learning this summer in her hometown of Chatom, Alabama, as a Jean O'Connor Snyder Intern with the David Mathews Center for Civic Life. The nonprofit program, coordinated by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts, prepares undergraduate college students for civic life through living-learning experiences in the summer.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: TASA gives advocates 'a louder voice' to help those with disabilities