Letters from the President & CEO

This was originally published in Visions, Issue IV 2024.

Dec. 1, 2024 –

An estimated 160,000 people with developmental disabilities live in Massachusetts, according to the Mass. Developmental Disabilities Council. The Commonwealth sees 73,000 cases of traumatic brain injury annually, according to MassAbility. These injuries occur through unintentional falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports, violence, and more.

Clearly the need for our services will continue to increase for years — for generations.

Individuals who come for support to Berkshire County Arc come with a wide range of situations. They vary in age, functionality, family support, cultural backgrounds, and economic status.
Berkshire County Arc provides several models for support, some which require direct care staff, and some which rely on families or community members.

Adult Family Care: BCArc supports more than 100 families or community members who provide support in their own home for individuals who need assistance with daily living. This program provides a monthly stipend, nursing oversight, and case management. Many individuals and families are eligible for this program but unaware of the services. If you know anyone who might be eligible, please contact us.

Residential Services: BCArc has 43 residential programs throughout the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley – homes that provide full support every day of the year. This is where most of BCArc’s direct care staff work. Typically BCArc builds a new home every year to respond to the state’s needs.

Shared Living: BCArc matches an individual with disabilities to live with a caregiver in the caregiver’s home. BCArc provides training and ongoing supervision to ensure a successful partnership.
Supported Living: Individuals live semi-independently in their own apartments, with the opportunity to be part of a community in a co-op building.

All the programs above include personal annual plans with specific personal goals. We also provide programs outside home life like Employent Services and Day Habilitation Programs, to name a few.

We know the need for our services will continue to grow. While there are always challenges to expansion, we are positioned well to respond, as we have for the past 70 years. We look forward to answering the call.

Maryann Hyatt

President & CEO

This was originally published in the Annual Report 2024.

September 1, 2024 –

We are in full stride, operating at full speed.

• Our staff numbers are at their highest levels.
• Our day programs serve its highest numbers – while similar programs around the state closed during or after Covid.
• We built and opened a home in Southampton.
• We plan to build a program in Lanesborough.
• We are opening a Recycling Center in Pittsfield, the only one of its kind in the region.
• We serve 15 area high schools to evaluate their students’ employment levels. We served only four high schools two years ago.

Not bad for an agency turning 70.

I can go on and on about our growth, the energy we’re feeling at the Agency. Growth itself is not a measure of success. But at 70, we are smarter than ever. Our staff, our leadership team, our systems, our trainings, our tools — we are current and state-of-the-art to best serve an increasingly complex human services world.

None of this would matter if we didn’t have the support of our communities. This agency started as a grassroots group – a small number of parents trying to support one another for their children with disabilities. From these seeds BCArc came to be — through legislative advocacy, lawsuits, and fierce determination for respect and human decency.

Those years of advocacy at the local family level remains in our DNA. We are now a large organization – 800 employees with more than 50 locations from the Berkshires to Pioneer Valley. But that feeling of grassroots advocacy hasn’t left us. And that’s what makes us young and vibrant and determined to move forward.

This is why we continue to grow. As long as there are unmet needs in the region, we will stay ready to respond to give individuals with disabilities the life they deserve. And the communities that surround us – the families, our supporters, our lawmakers, and our staff – should expect the most from us.

Marching through the Pittsfield Parade on July 4 with our staff and individuals, I felt a huge sense of pride and support from the crowds on the side. Their cheering for our folks was inspiring. Every one of our walkers made it the whole way, likely from the support they were feeling with every step. So many people came out from the sidelines to hug a BCArc marcher — a family member, a former employee, a supporter. I always enjoy the support we have in the community.

Maryann Hyatt
President & CEO

This was originally published in Visions, Issue II 2024.

May 1, 2024 – We have one job to do here at Berkshire County Arc — support individuals with disabilities. That mission is focused, but to do it right — provide rich lives with opportunities to feel fulfilled, and gain independence — can be complex. BCArc is a large organization that faces all the challenges and opportunities any mission-driven large organization experiences — whether for-profit or not-for-profit.

Moving the Agency forward is critical. Staying still is not an option. Well into my second year as its leader, I am amazed at the pace of change in our work, and the need to stay agile as an Agency employing more than 750 staff and caring for 1,000 individuals with disabilities from Down Syndrome to brain injuries.

This year we celebrate BCArc’s 70th year of growth as a human services agency and as a community member. They are both connected and inherent to what we do. We will celebrate our seventh decade with a Gala on Sept. 19. Our staff is creating a float for the Pittsfield July 4 parade to recognize our hallmark year. We continue to create new programs, explore new initiatives, and embrace new technologies and advanced approaches to better support the people we serve. Every corner of our Agency moves forward faster than ever.

Staff drive our changes. We add new training programs as the times change. We are always improving our facilities, honing the programs we offer, and developing new programs.

Reaching milestone years forces you to look back at your own history. There are many lessons in BCArc’s history that teach us how to move forward, and I thank my predecessors for those lessons as BCArc begins to celebrate its 70th anniversary.

Maryann Hyatt
President & CEO

This was originally published in Visions, Issue I 2024.

February 1, 2024 – In my first full year as President & CEO of Berkshire County Arc, 17 new individuals moved into our residential programs, the most transition the program has experienced in recent memory.


Moving to a new home for anyone is an emotional event. At BCArc, the family meets with the staff, the individual meets their house peers, spends some time together, and maybe spends a night or two before making any decisions.


Often the new individuals are overwhelmed with joy and disbelief. A recently moved-in resident was so taken with joy, that a staff person said to me, “It’s days like this that make this job 100% worthwhile.” (see page 5 for more). We are lucky to watch the happiness on their faces, watch them make new friends, help them furnish and arrange their room, and watch them bask in the comfort of their new home. 


Working at BCArc also includes loss. This year several people dear to us passed away. During these times BCArc staff spend time in hospitals offering comfort, experience hospice together, make funeral arrangements, and console friends and housemates. Despite these trying times, our staff perform with grace and dignity.


We tell our new employees that this
 is not easy work. During all these deeply emotional days, staff still need to keep meticulous records for state agencies, administer medicines, attend doctor appointments, prepare meals, tend to financial matters, and perform countless more tasks. Despite all this, we have more than 40 employees who have been with BCArc 20-plus years, and 130 employees more than 10 years. Some, like myself, have been doing this work for more than 30 years. We experience the growth of individuals over decades, and they watch our growth as well. 


I am grateful to be leading this team. Caring for people the way our staff does seems to me as important as any work can be. I am proud of what we accomplished this year, and look forward to growing together next year.

Maryann Hyatt

President & CEO