State Outreach

Educational Forums for Policymakers in States

AAIDD's Health Policy efforts, part of the Environmental Health Initiative's priorities, is focused on educating policymakers at the state level. By impacting state policies on chemicals, AAIDD believes that greater federal reform can result.

June 9, 2011

Healthy Lives, Healthy Minds - A Forum in St.Paul, Minnesota

On June 9, 2011, AAIDD will host a post-conference workshop at the AAIDD Annual Meeting (June 6-9, 2011 on the relationship between the prevalence of IDD and other health conditions and environmental exposures.

Featured presentations include:

What is the science that links environmental exposures and impacts on the developing brain? David Wallinga, MD, MPA, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Health and Cost: How will federal and state reforms impact health and cost for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities? Dr. Leo Trasande, Mt. Sinai Hospital (national costs) and Kathleen Schuler, IATP (Healthy Legacy) (Minnesota costs)

Chemical Policy Reform Update – What’s happening at the federal

and state levels? Lindsay Dahl, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families,

Dan Endreson, Healthy Legacy and Kate Knuth, Minnesota State Representative

invited) and sponsor of the ToxicFree Kids Act

Register at: www.aaidd.org Supporting Organizations:

Supported by: The John Merck Fund; MN Consortium on Disabilities;

Minnesota LEND Program The Arc of Greater Twin Cities;

Autism Society (ASA); Healthy

Legacy; Learning Disabilities

Association of America (LDA);

and Learning and Development'l

Disabilities Initiative (LDDI)

October 2, 2009

State Policy Forum in Chicago Illinois
The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the Learning Disabilities Association of America and the Autism Society of America, in partnership with Illinois PIRG, Environment Illinois, the Association for Individual Development (AID) and Institute on Disability and Human Development at UIC, held a forum on environmental health policy issues in Chicago on October 2, 2009. The purpose of this forum was to raise awareness among Illinois policymakers of the health risks posed by toxic chemical exposures, with a focus on chemicals that can harm brain development, and to discuss legislative measures that would protect Illinois citizens from toxic chemical exposures.

Speakers included policymakers such as House Representative Elaine Neckritz, health professionals such as Dr. Peter Orris and Dr. Anju Usman, and concerned citizens. Other invited speakers included Illinois Attorney General, Congressman Bobby Rush, and others.

The forum was held at the University of Illinois Chicago from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday October 2nd. For more information please feel free to contact Joyce Martin, Director of Health Policy at the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, at jmartin@aaidd.org. Thank you!

To get involved in State level activities please contact AAIDD's EHI and we can help you put together an event, lecture series, or help you to send out materials on environmental health and Intellectual and Devlopmental Disabilities, please contact us!