The Arc of Ventura County

The Arc of Ventura County Empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1954. Achieve with us.

The Arc of Ventura County promotes and protects the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through services that actively support their full inclusion and participation in the community.

09/15/2026

🌯💙 Day 2 of DSP Week at Walker Street—and the appreciation keeps pouring in!

This morning, our Walker Street team was treated to a delicious breakfast courtesy of the Escobar Familia, complete with breakfast burritos and fresh salsa! 🌯😋

But what has made this week especially meaningful is the incredible outpouring of gifts, treats, and appreciation from our participants’ families. It’s a wonderful reminder that the impact of our DSPs reaches far beyond the walls of our programs.

Families see the relationships our staff build, the care they provide, the opportunities they create, and the difference they make in the lives of their loved ones every day. 💙

To the Escobar Familia and all of the families who have helped make our DSPs feel extra special this week—thank you! Your kindness means more than you know.

And to our Walker Street DSPs: enjoy those burritos—you’ve earned them! 🙌🌯💙

09/15/2026

🥯☕🎶 Walker Street kicked off DSP Week with breakfast and a celebration!

Our amazing Walker Street DSPs were surprised with freshly baked bagels from Noah’s Bagels and plenty of piping hot coffee to get the morning started right! 🤗

And what’s a celebration without a soundtrack? Staff walked in to songs like “We Are Family,” “We Are the Champions,” and “Celebration”—because those titles pretty much say it all! 🎶👏💙

With full bellies, plenty of caffeine, and some well-deserved appreciation, our DSPs were ready to take on the day!

Thank you to our incredible Walker Street DSPs for the compassion, energy, patience, and dedication you bring to the people we support every day. This week, we celebrate YOU! 💙🙌

Santa Paula Day Program kicked off DSP Week with bento boxes full of goodies to keep their incredible team fueled and re...
09/15/2026

Santa Paula Day Program kicked off DSP Week with bento boxes full of goodies to keep their incredible team fueled and ready to provide the very best support! Thank you to our dedicated DSPs for the compassion, energy, and heart you bring each day. We appreciate you! 💙

09/14/2026

👏🎉 Now THAT’S how you start DSP Week! 💙

Our Arcade Day Program made sure their Direct Support Professionals felt the love the moment they walked through the door this morning!

As each DSP arrived to clock in and start their day, they were greeted with music, cheers, and a big round of applause from the Arcade crew. 👏🎶🥳

What better way to start the morning than being reminded that you are appreciated, you are valued, and the work you do matters!

Our DSPs give so much of themselves every day—bringing patience, creativity, compassion, energy, and dedication to the people we support. Sometimes it’s important to turn the attention around and make sure they know just how much they mean to us. 💙

Arcade definitely understood the assignment! 🙌

Happy DSP Recognition Week to our incredible Arcade team—and stay tuned, because the celebrations are just getting started! 🎉💙

💙🌟 It’s Direct Support Professional Recognition Week at The Arc of Ventura County! 🌟💙This week, we proudly celebrate the...
09/14/2026

💙🌟 It’s Direct Support Professional Recognition Week at The Arc of Ventura County! 🌟💙

This week, we proudly celebrate the incredible Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who are on the front lines of everything we do.

Our DSPs are often the first connection to the people we support and an essential part of their successes. Every day, they bring creativity, dedication, humility, patience, and passion to their work—helping people pursue their goals, make their own choices, build relationships, and live rich, fulfilling lives.

We appreciate our DSPs every week, but this week is especially for YOU! 🎉 We have treats, surprises, and plenty of appreciation planned throughout the week, and we’re looking forward to sharing some of those special moments with everyone!

First up, we’re celebrating the amazing DSPs of SSIL, Community Connections, and Tailored Day Services! 💙

These dedicated staff members are out in our communities every day supporting people in doing so much more than the bare minimum. Whether it’s attending college, participating in community sports, exploring new interests, building independence, or simply getting out and enjoying everything our community has to offer, our DSPs are right there helping make it possible.

To our entire SSIL, Community Connections, and Tailored Day Services teams: THANK YOU! Your work matters, your dedication is noticed, and the difference you make can be seen every single day. 👏💙

And we’re just getting started—stay tuned as we celebrate more of our incredible DSPs throughout the week! 🎉

09/14/2026

🇲🇽🎉 Celebrating culture, community, and tradition in Oxnard!

Downtown Oxnard came alive this weekend for Fiestas Patrias, bringing our community together to celebrate Mexican Independence Day and the rich culture, history, and traditions that make Ventura County such a special place to call home. 🇲🇽❤️

The Arc of Ventura County was proudly represented by Executive Director Esther Anaya, A St Program Manager Juan Garcia, and Advocacy Coordinator Lupe Escobar, who joined community members for a wonderful day filled with music, colorful traditions, beautiful horses, classic cars, and plenty of Mexican pride!

Esther shared these great photos from the celebration, including a special moment with Congresswoman Julia Brownley, who represents California’s 26th Congressional District and is pictured receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers. 💐

Events like Fiestas Patrias are a wonderful opportunity for The Arc to be present in our community, celebrate the diverse cultures of the people and families we serve, and strengthen the connections that make Ventura County such a vibrant and inclusive place. 💙

Thank you to Esther, Juan, and Lupe for representing The Arc of Ventura County and sharing some highlights from this special celebration!

¡Viva México! 🇲🇽🎊

💙 Seeing The Arc’s mission in action!Three members of The Arc of Ventura County’s Board of Directors—Dr. Angela Nelson, ...
09/12/2026

💙 Seeing The Arc’s mission in action!

Three members of The Arc of Ventura County’s Board of Directors—Dr. Angela Nelson, Cynthia Chadwick, and Samuel Bashe—recently spent the day touring several of our programs, meeting participants and staff, asking questions, and seeing firsthand the incredible work happening throughout our agency.

The day began at Walker Street before heading to A Street, where Juan, Penny, and Daniel gave an amazing tour of the Oxnard program. Next was Arcade, where Mary showed everyone around and the group even got to say hello to Carly Brockman! 👋💙

At The Arc Foundation Distribution Center, Joe Paul gave everyone a behind-the-scenes look at how donations are received, sorted, priced, and prepared for our thrift stores. 📦

The final stop was TIL – Training for Independent Living, where Tina, Gary, Todd, Eric, Stephanie, participants, and staff gave everyone a wonderful welcome. We were having such a great time that we forgot to take a picture at TIL! 📸😅 But we definitely didn’t forget the experience!

Throughout the day there were plenty of smiles, handshakes, high-fives, hugs, and great conversations. As Cynthia shared afterward, seeing so many friendly and engaging people happy in their lives is “truly the heart and soul of what we are advocating for.” 💙

A huge thank you to Amanda for coordinating the day, Andy for driving, our Board members for taking the time to visit, and all of our participants and staff who welcomed them!

There’s no better way to understand our mission than to see it in action. 💙🙌

💙💛 A beautiful smile is about to light up Times Square! 🗽✨Each year, the National Down Syndrome Society celebrates the l...
09/11/2026

💙💛 A beautiful smile is about to light up Times Square! 🗽✨

Each year, the National Down Syndrome Society celebrates the lives of people with Down syndrome through its inspiring Times Square Video Presentation, kicking off the annual NYC Buddy Walk.

This year, Arron “Honey” Diaz was selected as one of just 500 individuals from more than 2,700 submissions whose photo will appear on the Times Square Jumbotron screens! 🌟

Arron loved looking at pictures of the New York City skyline and all of its beautiful city lights. Although she never had the opportunity to visit New York before she passed away, her family saw this as a very special opportunity: Arron finally gets her moment in NYC. 🗽❤️

Her family will be there to see her beautiful smile shining in the heart of Times Square and to celebrate alongside the Down syndrome community. The presentation will also be livestreamed on the NDSS page on September 12 at 8:30 a.m. ET for anyone who would like to share in this special moment.

Following the presentation, Arron’s family will participate in the 2026 NYC Buddy Walk as part of the Aging with Down Syndrome Podcast team, honoring Matt Ransdell and remembering Matthew Scheidt, Cathy Gruber, Arron “Honey” Diaz, and Debbie Perrine. 💙💛

What an incredible way to celebrate Arron’s life and ensure that her smile continues to shine brightly.

Congratulations, Arron—you made it to New York City! 🗽🌟💙💛

Our LA Ave Program recently welcomed some very special guests from the Simi Valley Fire Department for a day of learning...
09/10/2026

Our LA Ave Program recently welcomed some very special guests from the Simi Valley Fire Department for a day of learning, exploration, and some hands-on firefighting fun!

The firefighters arrived in full gear and gave our participants an up-close look at their fire truck and equipment. They also spent time talking about what firefighters do every day and shared some important lessons about fire safety and staying prepared in an emergency. 🚨🧯

Then it was time for our participants to become firefighters themselves! 👩‍🚒👨‍🚒 Staff set up pretend “fires” outside, and everyone got a chance to grab a spray bottle, take aim, and put out the flames! 💦🔥

Activities like this make learning fun, interactive, and memorable while giving our participants the opportunity to connect with the people who help keep our communities safe.

A HUGE thank you to the Simi Valley Fire Department for spending time with us, answering questions, showing off the truck, and giving our LA Ave crew such a great experience! 🚒❤️

And congratulations to our newest honorary firefighters at LA Ave—you saved the day! 🔥💦😎

09/05/2026

🦸‍♂️💥 FROM THE DRAWING BOARD TO A REAL COMIC BOOK! 🐱📖

Timmy Heague of Arsenal Comics is a man of his word! Yesterday, Timmy stopped by our Walker Street Program for the official unveiling of the one and only Spider-Cat comic!

And this wasn’t just a mock-up—Timmy took our participants’ original drawings and creations and helped turn them into an actual, physical comic book! Seeing everyone’s faces as they flipped through the pages and found their own artwork in a professionally printed comic was absolutely priceless. 🤩🎨

Even better, our artists each got a copy to take home, share with their families, and proudly say, “I helped make this!” ❤️

Our partnership with Arsenal Comics has been something truly special for The Arc of Ventura County. Timmy has encouraged our artists to use their imaginations, develop their own characters, and see just how far their creativity can go. To us, Timmy is a real-life Superman! 🦸‍♂️

And something tells us this is only the beginning…

We can’t wait to see the upcoming adventures of Spider-Cat and all the other incredible custom characters our talented artists are dreaming up! 🐱💥✏️

A HUGE thank you to Timmy Heague, Arsenal Comics, the Walker Street team, and all of our amazing artists who helped bring Spider-Cat from an idea on paper to a real comic book you can hold in your hands.

You did it, artists! Spider-Cat is officially here! 🌟📚💙

Address

5103 Walker Street
Ventura, CA
93003

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+18056508611

Website

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