AAMR F.Y.I.
July 2002, Vol. 2, No. 1

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Dear AAMR Friends and Colleagues:


IN THIS ISSUE:
    1. U.S. Supreme Court bans execution of persons with mental retardation
    2. New, 10th edition of Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports released
    3. Training seminars on new AAMR definition on mental retardation.
    4. National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities offers online resource on mental retardation
    5. RADAR and disabilities funding

U.S. Supreme Court Bans Execution of Persons With Mental Retardation
In a 6-3 vote on June 20, 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional and cruel to execute persons with mental retardation. The Supreme Court’s decision comes in the wake of the Daryl Renard Atkins case, an individual who has an IQ of 59 and has never lived on his own or held a job. AAMR fully supports the Supreme Court decision. In 2001, AAMR and eight other disability organizations presented an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court advocating against the death penalty in the Atkins case. Attorney for Atkins and past president of AAMR James W. Ellis says, "The Court has recognized the consensus among the American people, even those who support the death penalty. They are deeply disturbed by the prospect that people with mental retardation could face execution."

Visit http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/06/20/scotus.executions/index.html to learn more on the Atkins case. Visit http://www.aamr.org/Policies/position_statements.shtml for AAMR’s position paper on the death penalty.

New, 10th Edition Of Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification, And Systems Of Supports Released
AAMR launched the new and updated definition of mental retardation in the 10th edition of Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification and Systems of Supports at the Association’s 126th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The 10th edition proposes new and creative ways to define, classify, and support an individual with mental retardation. The 2002 classification system goes beyond the AAMR 1992 definition of mental retardation to provide expanded criteria for diagnosis and classification of mental retardation, while still retaining an emphasis on intelligence assessment, functional orientation, and supports. The 2002 Manual is a timely and important resource to the states as they review their mental retardation criteria in view of the U.S. Supreme Court decision yesterday, outlawing the execution of people with mental retardation.

Visit the AAMR Bookstore at http://www.aamr.org/Bookstore/ to purchase the 10th edition.

Training Seminars On New AAMR Definition Of Mental Retardation
 AAMR will hold training seminars on the newly released 10th edition of Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Support in New Orleans, LA and Washington, DC on September 23-24 and October 3-4 respectively. The training programs will provide an overview of the book, and guide researchers and practitioners on how to implement the new definition of mental retardation. Training will be conducted by the authors, who will lead attendees through the 10th edition and the workbook, and examine future challenges and directions in mental retardation.

Watch for more information on the 10th edition training programs at www.aamr.org

National Center On Birth Defects And Developmental Disabilities Offers Online Resource On Mental Retardation
 The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) offers an extended Q&A on mental retardation at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/ddmr.htm. In addition to information on causes and prevention of MR and resources for people with MR, the website features Kids’ Quest, which makes kids between grades 4-6 think about challenges facing people with disabilities. NCBDDD was founded in August 2001 and is the newest center of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Radar And Disabilities Funding
Disabilities funding is a trend in media coverage, reports RADAR, an online database that tracks news and issues in the developmental disabilities field.

Visit www.radaraamr.com and perform a keyword search on "funding" to view news stories on disability funding.

AAMR F.Y.I. is compiled and edited by Anna Prabhala, Editor. Please submit comments, suggestions, tips, and news to annap@aamr.org

© Copyright 2002 American Association on Mental Retardation

AAMR F.Y.I. may only be redistributed in its unedited form.