Congratulations to  board member, Joe Langerak, for being awarded the 2019 Family Advocate Award by The Arc of Indiana and Self-Advocates of Indiana on October 23, 2019 at The Arc’s annual award luncheon in Plainfield, Indiana.  This award recognizes a family member who is a strong advocate, not only for their own family member, but all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Joe is an attorney who devotes much of his personal time to advocating for the rights of people with disabilities.  He joined The Arc of Evansville’s Board of Directors in 2012, and he regularly shares his family’s story of having a child with a disability to other parents and families, as well as business, community, and city leaders.  Joe conveys the necessity of and access to services for individuals with disabilities like those provided by The Arc of Evansville. He helps others understand the impact that those services make for individuals with disabilities and their families.

Joe currently serves as Board Chair at The Arc of Evansville, as well as a member of the State of Indiana’s 1102 Task Force. The Task Force was established in 2017 and is led by Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. It is the first broad assessment of intellectual and developmental disabilities services since 1997.  Joe, along with other Task Force appointees, travels around the state to attend meetings for gathering input and preparing a comprehensive plan for the implementation of community-based services provided to people with intellectual and other disabilities. 

According to Deidra R. Conner, President of The Arc of Evansville, “The Arc of Evansville appreciates Joe Langerak ’s tireless efforts to advocate for the needs people with disabilities not only in our local community, but across the entire state of Indiana. Joe is champion for people with disabilities, and we are excited to see him recognized for these efforts.”