Home and Community-Based Services Advocacy

Educators and Advocates

At the request of the Central Valley Regional Center, The Arc of Fresno/Madera Counties has selected a talented group of individuals to provide education to the community about the Home and Community-Based Services Federal ruling. These educators have been tasked with providing information to intellectually/developmentally disabled individuals and their support networks.

Jose Virgen

Jose is a Support Advocate specializing in peer advocacy and also provides translation and interpretation services for individuals and their support networks. He ensures that the outreach materials are appropriately translated to Spanish to provide equal opportunities to that section of our community; he has completed an online training side by side with a professor and continues to show his passion and skill in translation and interpretation. Jose was successfully hired as a data entry clerk for the Home and Community-Based Services contract with the Central Valley Regional Center working closely with services providers to get them ready for compliance with the Federal regulations.

Jose’s long term goals are to eventually sell his self-composed music and become a well-known artist. He would also like to purchase his own home and to prove to the community that individuals in wheelchairs are capable.

Ishmael Gaines

Ishmael, Support Advocate specializing in social media outreach for The Arc of Fresno/Madera Counties, was born and raised in Chowchilla, CA. He is a graduate of Chowchilla Union High School and Assistant Coach for the Chowchilla Gold Traveling Girls’ Volleyball Team. At program, Ishmael has been the Pathfinders To Employment Consumer Advocacy Council President for Madera for 2 years where he advocates for himself and his peers to have their needs met at program. He also enjoys volunteering at Galilee Missionary Baptist Church and has done so for the past 7 years passing out food to the community of Chowchilla.

Ishmael has utilized vocational services offered by The Arc of Fresno/Madera Counties to progress his career, initially participating in a Situational Assessment at one of The Arc F/M programs as an Administrative Assistant. Utilizing the skills gained, he was hired by Central Valley Regional Center for Home and Community-Based Services contract verifying provider submissions for compliance. Then, Ishmael participated in a Paid Internship Program completing an audit of The Arc F/M Program Status Review. Currently, he is an educator with The Arc F/M on Home and Community-Based Services providing information to individuals, families, and service providers on the federal regulations.

Support Staff

These staff are responsible for supporting the educators and advocates in learning their Home and Community-Based Services training materials, meeting with their peers at The Arc of Fresno/Madera Counties programs, and presenting their Home and Community-Based Services information to stakeholders in our region.