Noteworthy Practices | Additional Links

The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 defines the term developmental disabilities as severe chronic or unending disabilities of a person which is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments; is apparent before the person attains the age of twenty-two; is likely to continue indefinitely; results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activities:

• self-care;
• receptive and expressive language;
• mobility;
• self-direction;
• capacity of independent living, and economic self-sufficiency; and
• reflects the person's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, assistive technology, treatment, … that are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated.

It is estimated that there more than three million individuals who have developmental disabilities in the United States.

Noteworthy Practices

• North Carolina Compensatory Education provides educational services to adults with mental retardation to make up for lack of, or inadequate education received earlier.

• Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation is a Texas governmental agency which responds to the needs of people with mental retardation and which enable them to make choices in there lives.

• Alliance for Technology Access provides information and support services to adults and children with disabilities to increase their use of standard, assistive and information technologies. The interactive information service helps to rapidly locate information on assistive technology.

Additional Links

• The President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities is a federal advisory committee, established to advise the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on issues concerning citizens with mental retardation.

• The Administration on Developmental Disabilities is a federal agency with responsibility to ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities, and their families, have opportunities that promotes independence, productivity, integration and inclusion into the community.

• National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities works for change on behalf of people with developmental disabilities and their families.

• The Arc is the national organization of and for people with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities and their families.

• The Development Disabilities Resource Center provides leading-edge services that create opportunities for people with developmental disabilities and their families to participate fully in the community. Access to state developmental disabilities agencies web sites.