Dear ARCA Members,    

I hope this message finds you well. I am deeply honored and proud to introduce myself as your new President of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA), a division of the American Counseling Association (ACA). I am a rehabilitation counseling educator and practitioner. I understand the challenges that we face as a profession, and I am committed to helping us improve. Over the past year, it has been an incredible experience working alongside our Past-President, Daniel Balva. His unwavering dedication to rehabilitation counseling, his steadfast advocacy for our profession, and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of counselors have been truly inspiring. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to him for his invaluable contributions. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge and thank our outgoing ARCA Executive Board Members and Regional Representatives for their tireless efforts and dedication. As we begin this new term, please join me in warmly welcoming our incoming ARCA Board Members and Regional Representatives.    

Significant progress has been made in advancing disability justice and advocacy for persons with disabilities, thanks to the relentless efforts of persons with disabilities, committed rehabilitation counselors, educators, and advocates. However, we recognize that there is still much work to be done. As a profession, we see the issues of accessibility, ableism, and bias. We know the research must be enhanced to overcome these barriers.    

ARCA is here to help. As an overview – ARCA is an organization of rehabilitation counseling practitioners, educators, and students who are concerned with improving the lives of people with disabilities. Its mission is to enhance the development of people with disabilities throughout their life span and to promote excellence in the rehabilitation counseling profession. ARCA’s goal is to provide the type of leadership that encourages excellence in the areas of rehabilitation counseling practice, research, consultation, and professional development. ARCA is equally interested in eliminating environmental and attitudinal barriers so that more opportunities are available with regard to education, employment, and community activities to people with disabilities. These goals are addressed by ARCA through public education and legislative activities. One of ARCA’s primary goals is to increase public awareness of rehabilitation counseling as a profession and to extend its influence by encouraging members to become involved in the association’s outreach and educational efforts. Other goals are to help members develop their leadership skills through participation in ARCA’s organizational activities and to work with state officials to develop appropriate licensure requirements.    

This term, my focus will be on increased membership, continuing education, raising awareness of rehabilitation counseling, and amplifying the work of disability advocates both nationally and internationally. My goal is for ARCA to foster greater unity within rehabilitation counseling while also promoting cross-divisional collaboration to ensure disability-specific topics and advocacy are included in programming across the American Counseling Association (ACA) and its divisions. Your Executive Board and I are committed to working tirelessly throughout the year to move us closer to these objectives. However, we can achieve much more with the collective strength, experience, and dedication of each ARCA member. I encourage all members to get more involved in our Division, other divisions, and related organizations, as each of you brings unique value to our profession.    

Feel free to reach out to me throughout the year with your ideas, questions, concerns, or ways I can support you.    

Sincerely,    

Dr. Paige Dunlap