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The Education Division is one of sixteen
divisions of the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR).
Our mission is to promote educational opportunities for children and
adults with mental retardation and related conditions that are of the
highest quality. All who share our commitment to this mission are welcomed
to join the Division and become active participants.
Benefits of Membership
How You Can Get Involved in the Education Division
Board
Membership and Leadership for Self-Advocates
Education Division Officers
The Education Division at the 2001 AAMR conference
AAMR Publications
Great Links to information on mental retardation and other
developmental disabilities
Benefits
of Membership
The Education Division of the AAMR is
focused on meeting the needs of members with a special interest in educational
issues and services. Persons belonging to the Division have highlighted
the following benefits of membership.
The
opportunity to interact and network with educators from around the
United States and the world.
Unique and diverse perspectives
surrounding a variety of key educational issues are provided to members
through journals, newsletters, e-mail, and interactions at AAMR conferences.
The Education Division is a wonderful source of ideas for teachers
and administrators serving students with mental retardation and other
developmental disabilities.
The opportunity to interact and
network with persons from other disciplines and professional roles.
AAMR is one the most interdisciplinary professional associations
in the world. Health professionals, adult service providers, government
officials, psychologists, social workers, rehabilitation professionals,
and many others have historically maintained an active presence in
AAMR. Members of the Education Division are able to keep informed
of trends and issues affecting persons with mental retardation that
go beyond those that directly emerge from or impact on education.
Access to outstanding publications.
Members automatically receive subscriptions to two of the leading
journals in the field of mental retardation (Mental Retardation
& American Journal of Mental Retardation) as well as the
bimonthly newsletter, AAMR News & Notes. Members also get
discounts on all AAMR publications, including the popular Innovations
series.
Access to outstanding conferences.
AAMR sponsors a variety of regional and national conferences every
year. Conference registration fees are discounted for members.
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How
You Can Get Involved in the Education Division
- Attend the next regional or national
AAMR conference. Bring your colleagues!
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Submit a proposal to
the next AAMR regional or national conference.
- Come to the Education Division business
meeting and/or roundtables at the next regional or national conference.
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Run for election as division
president for your regional division or for the national division.
- Contact the national or your regional
president and tell him/her you want to get involved.
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Board
Membership and Leadership for Self-Advocates
Ann
Turnbull, President of AAMR, asked the Education Division to provide
some resources on supporting self-advocates to be on the board of a
non-profit organization. Below are a few of the available resources
to support advocacy and leadership, either written specifically for
self-advocates, or for a person who would support a self-advocate to
participate in board meetings.
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Not
Another Board Meeting! by Susanne Goebel. This leadership
guide is composed of three parts: 1) a guide for persons with disabilities
consisting of a list of self-advocacy issues and support needs,
2) a guide for the support person, and 3) a guide for other members
of decision-making groups. The guides are intended to be used as
tools to help people communicate more openly, and to help people
respect each other and see each other’s potential. Included are
suggestions on how to use the guide, workbook questions, check lists
of things to remember when serving on a board, a definition section
for commonly used terms, and success stories. Available from Oregon
Developmental Disabilities Council, 540 24th Place NE,
Salem, Oregon 97301-4517. (503) 945-9941.
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Speak
Up! Guide, by Rebekah L. Pennell. A CD with Word documents
and Power Point presentation. A workbook and learning guide are
designed to help adults in transition with intellectual disabilities
survey their own needs, likes, and dislikes. Contains sections on
leisure activities, strengths, skills, and future planning; communication
and assertiveness; problem solving; and rules and rights; self-advocacy
and determination; organizing self-advocacy groups and community
involvement. The materials also include role-p-laying modules. Call
or write: Shifting the Power, CB #7255, University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7255, (919) 966-5171.
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Boards
of The Future! A Participatory Guide for Building Inclusive Board
Membership, by Carol Burdett. The manual is a training guide
for educating potential board members and current members in building
inclusive decision-making groups. The manual discusses board etiquette,
roles, procedures, definitions of operating terms, responsibilities,
and contains an evaluation and assessment toll to determine success.
Write or call: Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council, 103 South
Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05671-0206. (802) 241-2612.
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Self
Advocacy for Self Advocates: A Leadership Guide, by Jeff
Saucier, Alan Kurtz, Debbie Gilmer and Members of SPEAKING UP FOR
US, Maine’s Self Advocacy Network. The guide is designed to assist
self-advocacy leaders to teach self-advocates and others about self-advocacy.
The words come directly from people with mental retardation who
have participated in self-advocacy leadership education in Maine.
Available from The Center for Community Inclusion, University of
Maine, 5717 Corbett Hall, Room 114, Orono, ME 04469-5717. (207)
581-1084. Voice and TTY. Toll Free (800) 203-6957 Voice and TTY.
Education
Division Officers & Representatives
President: Susan B. Palmer, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor,
Beach Center on Disability, University of Kansas, 1200 Sunnyside Ave.
3136 Haworth Hall, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534. (785) 864-0270
President-elect: Susan R. Copeland, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Special
Education, MSCO5 3040 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-001
(505) 277-0628
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Links
to Resources on Mental Retardation,
Developmental
Disabilities, and Education
Here are some useful links
to world wide web sites related to mental retardation or intellectual
disabilities and developmental disabilities.
If you have suggestions for
additional links, please contact sfalkner@ku.edu
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The
Education Division Web Page is maintained by Sharon Falkner. Suggestions
are welcomed! Please send your comments to: Susan Palmer, Ph.D.
E-Mail: spalmer@ku.edu 
Sharon Falkner
E-Mail: sfalkner@ku.edu
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