Arche (Association)

L'Arche (French for "The Ark") is an international federation of communities in which people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together. Founded in 1964 in Trosly-Breuil, France, L'Arche developed from a single household into a federation of approximately 160 established communities in 37 countries on six continents. L’Arche emerged as an alternative to the segregation of people with intellectual disabilities in large institutions. It developed not only as a form of community-based support but as an intentional community in which people with and without intellectual disabilities share ordinary life. Its model seeks to move beyond a strictly one-way distinction between caregiver and care recipient: although members have different support needs and responsibilities, L’Arche holds that each person can give and receive care and that relationships can transform everyone involved. Contemporary communities combine this emphasis on shared life with residential support, employment, social enterprise, family programs and other services. Originally rooted in Roman Catholic Christianity, L'Arche became ecumenical and later increasingly inter-religious and culturally diverse as it expanded internationally. Its communities remain united by a common charter while adapting their religious practices and organizational forms to local contexts. L'Arche has been influential in Christian spirituality and disability theology and has also attracted attention in disability studies, anthropology, and social policy. Scholars have particularly examined the organization's emphasis on mutuality, interdependence and belonging, sometimes contrasting it with disability-rights traditions emphasizing autonomy and independent living. Since the early 21st century, the federation has increasingly incorporated the language and practices of disability rights, supported decision-making, participation and the leadership of people with intellectual disabilities.