President's Committee on Mental Retardation (PCMR)
The President's Committee on Mental Retardation (PCMR) was initially organized by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and was formally established in 1966. More than seven and a half million Americans of all ages experience mental retardation or significant developmental delay, affecting one in ten families.
Much has changed for people with mental retardation since the 1960's due to tremendous advances in medicine, technology, research, education, and public understanding. It is the mission of the PCMR to keep the President apprised of the achievements, continuing needs, and emerging issues in this dynamic field. PCMR evaluates the adequacy of current practices and programs, and coordinates federal agency activities impacting people with intellectual disabilities. The Committee highlights the need for appropriate changes, promotes research, and promotes training for the frontline workforce providing direct support to persons with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities.
The President's Committee conducts forums, national awards programs and conferences, and produces relevant publications, while collaborating with public and private partners to further the inclusion of people with disabilities into the social mainstream. Our newest report, Poverty and Disability: A Call to Action, attempts to capture and continue the collaborative synergy of PCMR's February, 2000 conference of the same name held in New York City, co-sponsored by Reaching Up. Poverty issues constituted a major theme as well in The Forgotten Generation: 1999 Report to the President focusing on the neglected population of Americans with mild cognitive limitations. "The Forgotten Generation Summit" of February, 1999 inspired both the report and provided the substance of a forthcoming textbook of the same name from Paul Brookes Publishing Company.
PCMR's interest in developing leadership among people under 35 with developmental disabilities and those who support them is realized through annual "The Next Generation of Leadership Symposia" offering them exposure to best practices, national networking opportunities, and skill development. Their deliberations and recommendations are found in The Next Generation (Volume I: 1998 and Volume II: 1999) Linking Today's Wisdom with Tomorrow's Imagination.
Practical steps combined with rich resource references can be found in PCMR's five part series, With A Little Help From My Friends, now available full text on line at PCMR's home page. Additional PCMR publications can be ordered there, including A Better Place: The Contribution of Americans with Mental Retardation to Our Nation's Workforce, 1998 Report to the President.
Composition of the PCMR
The Committee consists of 21 citizen members appointed by the President, and nine public members: the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor and Education; the Attorney General; the President and CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service; the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Chair of the National Council on Disabilities and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. The members undertake Committee duties in addition to their daily occupations as professionals in the field of mental retardation and related developmental disabilities, or leadership in the advocacy and self-advocacy movements.
The PCMR meets quarterly and reports its findings at least annually to the President.
PCMR sponsors two annual awards competitions, the Elizabeth M. Boggs Young Leadership Award and the John F. Kennedy, Jr., Award for Excellence in Direct Support. For more information visit the PCMR home page at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/pcmr.
