A CHARGE WE HAVE TO KEEP
A Road Map to Personal and Economic Freedom for Persons with
Intellectual Disabilities in the 21st Century — 2004

The 2004 Report to the President offers recommendations within the conceptual framework of the challenges and goals outlined in the President's New Freedom Initiative (NFI) for people with disabilities. The NFI clearly identified the critical problems that Americans with disabilities face. It states that many of them, including people with intellectual disabilities, “(1) have a lower level of educational attainment than those without disabilities, (2) are poorer and more likely to be unemployed than those without disabilities, and (3) remain outside the economic and social mainstream of American life.” It will take time to change the decades-old policies of the 20th Century that have created unnecessary barriers to opportunities for Americans with disabilities. The recommendations contained in this document are for the 21st Century and are not expected to be addressed simultaneously or within a short time-frame, but to be carried out judiciously over a period of time to allow for effective implementation.

A Better Place: The Contribution of Americans with Mental Retardation to Our Nation's Workforce (1998)

The 1998 Report to the President offers recommendations to the nation regarding employment for citizens with mental retardation. The Report is the culmination of the 1998 PCMR Employment Summit and summarizes the concerns of summit participants and the PCMR participants and the PCMR Committee regarding employment opportunities and barriers to employment for Americans with mental retardation. Authored by John Kregel, Ed.D., Dr. Kregel is a professor of Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University and serves as the Director of Research and Associate Director of the VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training highlights leaders and leadership in the field of mental retardation. Part of the focus includes a look at mental retardation programs and research from the 1960's to present. This report discusses supporting young leaders and the Next Generation Leadership Symposium, where the recent recipients of the Elizabeth Monroe Boggs Award were presented. Community development and inclusion, the link between poverty and mental retardation, and education and early intervention are additional significant topics of the report.

(doc 215k, pdf 358k)

Voices & Visions: Building Leadership for the 21st Century (1996)

The 1996 annual Report to the President highights leaders and leadership in the field of mental retardation. Part of the focus includes a look at mental retardation programs and research from the 1960's to present. This report discusses supporting young leaders and the Next Generation Leadership Symposium, where the recent recipients of the Elizabeth Monroe Boggs Award were presented. Community development and inclusion, the link between poverty and mental retardation, and education and early intervention are additional significant topics of the report.

(doc 308k, pdf 464k)

Collaborating for Inclusion (1995)

The President's Committee on Mental Retardation strongly supports the inclusion of individuals with mental retardation in all aspects of community life. To further the prospects of inclusion, in September 1995 the President's Committee sponsored the first in a series of National Collaborative Academies on Mental Retardation, designed to provide information regarding community inclusion to State Teams.

(doc 219k, pdf 385k)

The National Reform Agenda and Citizens with Mental Retardation: A Journey of Renewal for All Americans (1994)

The Annual Report and the Proceedings of the 1994 Presidential Forum, which served as the basis for the Report, were unique in many respects. Reflecting President Clinton's commitment to empowerment and inclusion of all Americans, this Report is historic through the active participation and leadership of many self advocates and parents whose dynamic contributions helped shape the tone of each of the PCMR recommendations.

(doc 157k, pdf 269k )

The National Effort to Prevent Mental Retardation and Related Disabilities (1993)

This report describes vital components in the national effort to minimize the occurrence and ameliorate the effects of mental retardation and related developmental disabilities, including: recent and current research findings; the breadth of Federal involvement in the national effort to prevent mental retardation; exemplary State and local prevention planning and programs; and significant contributions of private and public sector agencies, organizations, foundations and institutions.

(doc 240k, pdf 324k)