Awards Guidelines

6. No posthumous awards will be given except for a person who died within the current year.

7. No elected AAIDD member or staff at the state/provincial, regional or national level is eligible for an award during his or her term of office.

8. Individuals may not be nominated if they have received an award within the last 10 years.
Click here to see a list of awards recceiptient within the last 10 years

All nominations must include the following documentation in order to be considered by the Awards and Fellowship Committee:

1. A narrative, not to exceed 500 words, in support of the nomination, addressing the following areas:

Significance of the contributions
Quality and thoroughness of the contributions
Years (duration) of significant effort
Geographic range of contributions; i.e., local, national, international
Contributions within or beyond requirements of professional position.

2. One-page vita for nominee or its equivalent for a lay-person nominee, including nominee's name, home and office addresses, phone numbers, agency affiliation, position/title, and educational background.

5. The name, agency affiliation, address and phone number of three individuals familiar with the nominee's achievements who do not work directly with the nominee.

The Full Community Inclusion Award honors programs which serves persons with mental retardation that:

1. are designed to and are successful in assuring the full community inclusion and participation of the people who receive services from the program;
2. empower local communities in fully including individuals with mental retardation;
3. serve as an inspiration for other community efforts at the local, state, regional, national and/or international levels; and
4. respect and are responsive to local cultures.

All nominations for the Full Community Inclusion Award must include the following documentation in order to be considered by the Awards and Fellowship Committee:

1.	A narrative, not to exceed 500 words, in support of the nomination, addressing how the nominated program meets the four criteria specified above and the significance, quality, and uniqueness of the program's contribution.
2.	Information on duration (years) the program has been operating and geographic range of contributions (i.e., local, national, international).
3.	Contact information for the program nominated, including contact person's name, address, phone number, and position/title.
4.	Name, address, phone number, agency affiliation, and position/title of person submitting nomination.
5.	At least three support letters for nomination, from different types of individuals and entities, such as - Human services agencies (government, advocacy agencies, etc.) - Community organizations or community members who are involved with persons served by the program - Persons who receive services or their representatives. - Other provider agencies (in the same or other states) who hold the applicant as a model.

AAIDD recognizes outstanding contributions in research, education, service, or advocacy that have had an impact on people with mental retardation within a particular country or across national boundaries. Requirements:

1.	Brief examples or summaries of selected written work.
2.	Three individuals must endorse (in writing) the nomination, one of who must be a member of AAIDD, who is a citizen of Canada or the United States.
3.	Nominations must be submitted in English.
4.	The nominee must be a citizen of a country other than the U.S. or Canada

AAIDD recognizes student contributions to the field of mental retardation. A student must be nominated by at least two (2) faculty members and must submit documented evidence of service, leadership or scholarship.

A Student is defined as a person, who, at the time of the contribution was enrolled as a full?time or part?time matriculated student in a degree program.

Areas in which student awards may be given are:

SERVICE Awarded for contributions to improved service to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

LEADERSHIP Awarded for performance that (1) has guided or directed others in improving the quality of programs for citizens with retardation, and (2) is found to be extraordinarily significant by the Awards Committee.

SCHOLARSHIP Awarded for performance that (1) reflects a systematic application of scientific inquiry techniques to a problem of significance in the field of mental retardation, and (2) is found to be extraordinarily significant by the Awards Committee.

Awarded for recognized contribution to or achievement in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities by an individual in the early stages of their career defined as:
(1) Being active in the field for less than 10 years, or
(2) less than 10 years post-graduate school

SERVICE Awarded for contributions to improved service to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities

LEADERSHIP Awarded for performance that:
(1) has guided or directed others in improving the quality of programs for citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and (2) is found to be extraordinarily significant by the Awards Committee.

POLICY DEVELOPMENT Awarded for contributions in public and social policy directed towards improving the quality of programs and services for citizens with intellectual or developmental disabilities

SCHOLARSHIP Awarded for performance that (1) reflects a systematic application of scientific inquiry techniques to a problem of significance in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities and (2) is found to be extraordinarily significant by the Awards Committee.