The Arc of the United States has announced that Redmond resident Margaret-Lee Thompson is the recipient of their national “Advocacy Matters!” award.

Thompson will receive the award on Nov. 5 at the The Arc’s National Convention at the Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort in Buena Vista, Fla.

Thompson serves as the coordinator of the King County Parent Coalition for Developmental Disabilities, a program of The Arc of King County, a non-partisan, grassroots network of parents and family members who advocate for the rights of people with developmental disabilities.

The infancy of the King County Parent Coalition began in 1990 when Thompson received a six-month grant from the King County Division of Developmental Disabilities to coordinate a “Parent Coalition” to bring parents together to learn about government, understand the system in which their children with disabilities lived, and educate their communities through grassroots advocacy.

The King County Parent Coalition became a program of The Arc of King County in 1994.

The Parent Coalition has three overarching goals:

• To work for a better future for people with developmental disabilities and their families through systems advocacy, which involves educating legislators through direct advocacy about the issues that impact people with developmental disabilities.

• To organize parent training workshops designed to teach parents how to navigate the developmental disabilities system. Course topics are comprehensive and range from transitions from school to adult services, to guardianships and wills.

• To inform King County families about the developmental disabilities system at all levels through meetings, forums and communications.

According to a press release, Thompson’s passion for this work arose from her commitment to her son, Dan, a man with disabilities, to ensure that Dan would live in a community that was inclusive, fair and supportive of human rights for people with developmental disabilities.

Established in 1936, The Arc of King County is the oldest local nonprofit organization serving children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.

Developmental disabilities include Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cognitive disabilities and other similar conditions, which occur prior to the age of 18 and are expected to last for life.

To contact The Arc of King County, call (206) 364-6337, toll-free at 1-877-964-0600, TTY 1-877-666-2348 or visit www.arcofkingcounty.org.