AAMR F.Y.I. - August 2004 issue, Vol. 4, No. 8

AAMR F.Y.I.
August 2004, Vol.4, No.8

Visit http://www.aamr.org/FYI/ to access current and past issues of this monthly newsletter.

Dear AAMR Friends and Colleagues:

IN THIS ISSUE:

Message to members from AAMR President David L. Coulter.
President Bush establishes the Interagency Coordinating Council for Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities.
Authors of the new Supports Intensity Scale to speak at two national conferences in August.
New survey findings raise questions about community integration of persons with developmental disabilities.
The American Journal on Mental Retardation is ranked top journal in special education and rehabilitation.
Scientific discovery is significant for rare disorder that causes mental retardation.
Largest study ever launched to find genes associated with autism.
The World Bank disability and development website is now live.

MESSAGE TO AAMR MEMBERS FROM AAMR PRESIDENT DAVID L. COULTER at http://www.aamr.org/About_AAMR/pre_letterAug04.shtml

PRESIDENT BUSH ESTABLISHES INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
On July 23, President Bush, joined by the National Organization on Disability (NOD) signed an Executive Order on Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness. The Executive Order calls for the creation of an Interagency Council dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of individuals with disabilities in emergency situations.

Read the Executive Order and the functions of the new Council at http://www.nod.org/content.cfm?id=1546

To read the recently published NOD Guide on Special Needs of People with Disabilities for Emergency Managers, Planners & Responders, visit http://www.nod.org/content.cfm?id=1267

To learn more about the first ever conference on emergency preparedness needs of people with disabilities to be held in Virginia from September 22-24, visit http://www.nataliepshear.com/events/nod/index.cfm

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AUTHORS OF THE NEW SUPPORTS INTENSITY SCALE TO SPEAK AT TWO NATIONAL CONFERENCES IN AUGUST
Dr. James Thompson, lead author of the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) published by the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR), will present a professional development workshop on the Scale at the National Conference of the QMRPs (www.qmrp.org) in Chicago, IL on August 12. Dr. Marc Tassé, co-author of the SIS will be a featured speaker at the "Reinventing Quality" conference (www.qualitymall.org) to be held from August 8-10 in Philadelphia, PA.

The Supports Intensity Scale is a new planning tool that helps disability professionals identify needs, goals, and aspirations of persons with intellectual disabilities and develop support strategies to fulfill them.

NEW SURVEY FINDINGS RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT COMMUNITY INTEGRATION OF PERSONS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
A national survey conducted by the Institute for Community Inclusion in Boston, Massachusetts finds that despite the push toward integrated employment for people with developmental disabilities, in many states non-work day programs continue to be a substantial component of the services provided. Over one-third of individuals served annually were in non-work programs and the majority of individuals in non-work services were in facility-based settings. The survey questions whether non-work programs advance goals such as independence, integration, and self-determination.

Read the National Survey of Community Rehabilitation Providers at http://www.communityinclusion.org/publications/pub.php?page=rp39

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL ON MENTAL RETARDATION IS RANKED TOP JOURNAL IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION
According to 2003 impact factor rankings, an annual study that ranks journals by usage statistics, the American Journal on Mental Retardation (AJMR) published by the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) ranked #1 in both special education and rehabilitation categories. AJMR was evaluated from a pool of 72 other journals in both categories combined. The journal Mental Retardation (MR), also published by AAMR, ranked #5 in special education and #8 in rehabilitation. The rankings appear in the Journal Citation Reports, published by Thomson ISI. To learn more about AJMR and MR, visit http://aamr.allenpress.com/aamronline/?request=index-html

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY MAY BE SIGNIFICANT FOR RARE DISORDER THAT CAUSES MENTAL RETARDATION
The action of a protein called CBP is essential for the stabilization of long-term memory, a discovery that may help children with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, a rare but debilitating developmental disorder that causes mental retardation and other anatomical abnormalities, say scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

LARGEST STUDY EVER LAUNCHED TO FIND GENES ASSOCIATED WITH AUTISM USING DNA TECHNOLOGY
The National Alliance for Autism Research has launched the Autism Genome Project, the largest study ever conducted to find the genes associated with inherited risk for autism. Over the next six months, the world's leading genetics researchers will pool their resources and use a new technology called the DNA microarray, to scan the human genome in the search for the genetic causes of autism.

In other autism news, researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute have found that the areas of the brain responsible for emotion and memory are abnormally large in boys with autism. Visit http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/html/news/current/07-14-04-1.html to read more.

THE WORLD BANK DISABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE
As a follow up to its first-ever conference on Disability and Development held in Washington, DC in 2002, The World Bank Group announced the launch of a new website dedicated to raising awareness on disability and development issues. The website, located at www.worldbank.org/disability features several topics, statistics, and publications of interest to the disability community worldwide.

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

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