AAMR F.Y.I.
November 2002, Vol. 2, No. 5

Please feel free to forward AAMR F.Y.I. to friends and associates.

Dear AAMR Friends and Colleagues:

IN THIS ISSUE:

      1. New guide for states on how to implement the U.S. Supreme Court’s Atkins v. Virginia ruling
      2. New federal website for people with disabilities unveiled
      3. Find out what makes disability veteran Bob Schalock’s new handbook on quality of life unique
      4. New report by NAPAS tracks implementation of the 1999 Olmstead v L.C. decision
      5. U.S. HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society established
      6. AAMR around the world-interview with international rights expert Alice McElhinney
      7. Save the date! AAMR 2003 annual convention in Chicago!
      8. Are there government programs you are eligible for?

NEW GUIDE ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT’S ATKINS V. VIRGINIA DECISION
James W. Ellis, law professor and attorney who argued the Atkins case before the U.S. Supreme court released a guide that helps state legislatures and advocates implement the Atkins v. Virginia decision. As per this historic June 2002 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court banned execution of persons with mental retardation as cruel and unusual punishment. The Guide helps ensure that each state’s death penalty legislation is in full compliance with constitutional requirements. The Guide also recommends that states adopt the 2002 AAMR definition of mental retardation.

Visit http://www.aamr.org/Library/STATE%20LEGISLATIVE%20GUIDE.doc to read “Mental retardation and the death penalty: A guide to state legislative issues.”

NEW FEDERAL WEBSITE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES-DisabilityInfo.gov
U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao unveiled DisabilityInfo.gov, a one-stop source of government information relevant to people with disabilities, their families, employers, and service providers. DisabilityInfo.gov is a collaborative effort across multiple federal agencies and is a part of President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative, a comprehensive plan designed to ensure full community participation of persons with disabilities.

Visit http://www.disabilityinfo.gov

THE HANDBOOK ON QUALITY OF LIFE FOR HUMAN SERVICE PRACTITIONERS IS THE TITLE OF THE LATEST BOOK CO-AUTHORED BY VETERAN EDUCATOR BOB SCHALOCK
Bob Schalock joins hands with Dr. Miguel Verdugo, a scholar from the University of Salamanca in Spain to present the most current, up-to-date, and international handbook on quality of life.

Click here to find out what makes The Handbook unique.

THIRD YEAR PROGRESS REPORT ON OLMSTEAD IMPLEMENTATION RELEASED BY NAPAS
The National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems, Inc. (NAPAS) released a 2002 report that measures the extent to which the federal government has assisted states in complying with the 1999 Olmstead decision. The report also identifies promising state and advocacy efforts that have worked.

To read the “Three-year Olmstead V L.C. progress report,” visit http://www.napas.org/I-3/I-3-d/Olmstead%20Progress%20Reports.htm

HHS SECRETARY’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON GENETICS, HEALTH, AND SOCIETY ESTABLISHED
Given that breakthroughs in genetics are fast influencing the way diseases are being prevented, treated, and cured, Secretary Tommy Thompson of the Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society.

Visit http://www4.od.nih.gov/oba/sacghs/SACGHS_charter.pdf to read the official charter of this new Committee.

AAMR AROUND THE WORLD-INTERVIEW WITH INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS EXPERT ALICE MCELHINNEY
Back from the annual Frankfurt Book Fair where she represented AAMR, this 30-year publishing veteran shares her thoughts on the need for AAMR resources in the international arena. McElhinney is responsible for many recent international initiatives of AAMR, including the launch of an Italian American Journal on Mental Retardation (AJMR) next year and forthcoming translations of the 10th edition of Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports in Spanish, Italian, and Japanese.

Click here to read the interview with McElhinney.

SAVE THE DATE! AAMR 2003 ANNUAL CONVENTION IN CHICAGO!
AAMR will hold its 127th annual convention at the Marriott in downtown Chicago. We look forward to your presence at “Renewing the revolution for personally satisfying lives,” the theme of this year’s convention.

ARE THERE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR IN THE U.S.?
GovBenefits is a U.S. government federal website that tells you if you are eligible for government benefits by filling in a confidential form online. This includes benefits for persons with disabilities. GovBenefits is a partnership of federal agencies and organizations and is part of the DisabilityInfo.gov network.

Visit http://www.govbenefits.gov/GovBenefits/jsp/GovBenefits.jsp to visit GovBenefits.

AAMR F.Y.I. is compiled 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