All staff are trained and certified by the State of Hawaii's Department of Health Visions Program. Staff also receives annual training in CPR, First Aid and a variety of other areas.

Individualized Services and Supports
The Arc in Hawaii collaborates with each participant and their family to develop an individualized plan that accommodates his or her desires and needs. The plan is designed to provide training and support to help the individual to build upon their strengths, to provide choice and support self-determination, to engage people in community participation, to encourage relationship building and to help the individual contribute to society.

Activities are also tailored to individual interests. Activities conducted in the past include individual or group volunteer work at places such as Catholic Charities, St. Christopher's Church, Pearl Harbor Family Service Center, the River of Life Mission, Office of Elections, Leahi Hospital, Wahiawa General Hospital, Wheeler Air Force Family Service Center, Waipahu Cultural Gardens, Kauai Foodbank, American Lung Association, Kauai Humane Society and Wilcox Long-Term Care. Various other community groups such as the Rotary Club and the Soroptomists support individuals by hosting annual holiday banquets and providing gifts for The Arc's participants.

Other services and supports include one-on-one personal assistance or habilitation support, respite and habilitation for supported employment participants. The Arc may also employ family members who support their own relatives.

Admission
Admission into The Arc's Community Based Services and Supports program vary depending on the source of funding a person is able to receive. Individuals may apply to the State Department of Human Services (DHS) for admission into either the DHS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver program or the Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded in the Community (ICF/MR-C) program. The Arc receives funding through both programs which are financed by the Hawaii State Legislature and matched with Federal Medicaid funds.

Admission to both programs require that participants be Medicaid eligible, have a diagnosis of mental retardation or a related developmental disability and require ICF/MR-C level of care (e.g. institutional care). However, the ICF/MR-C program also requires that the individual be at least 18 years of age and reside in an ICF/MR-C licensed facility. The HCBS program is geared towards individuals living at home with their family, in a group home or on their own.

Other individuals and families who may not be able to gain admission to these two programs may pay "out of pocket" on a fee-for-service basis.

Anyone interested in applying for services should call The Arc in Hawaii's administrative office at (808) 737-7995 for assistance.