Presidential Address, 2015--Making a Difference Through Research, Practice, and Policy.

Abstract

It is with great pleasure that I address my fellow members of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). This audience contains mentors, colleagues, existing and emerging leaders at your agencies and universities, self-advocates, and the future leaders of AAIDD. As is often the case when one is asked to give remarks, the immediate thought is: What can I say that is meaningful and helpful to others? So, I’ll begin at the beginning and give some insight into my leadership path. One question students often ask me at the University of Kansas is: How did your career in disability research begin? My career within this field began in general education. I earned a degree in elementary education at the Pennsylvania State University and received teacher certification right around the time that landmark legislation was signed in 1975 providing support for instruction and inclusion of individuals with disabilities in public schools. As special education in the public schools began and evolved into the system of services we have today, I raised a family of three children while taking disability-related classes in reading disorders and cognitive disabilities at universities in New York and Texas. As current special education began with the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, enacted in 1975, and most recently evolved through the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004), so did my perspectives on disability-related services. I also met Michael Wehmeyer, a fellow doctoral student at the University of Texas at Dallas, who is a beacon in the field of disability and self-determination and a mentor to many, including me and our colleague, Karrie Shogren, regarding research and effective practice. Mike also introduced me to AAIDD as a professional home. Following my work in early intervention—birth to age 3 services in family homes and a few years as a researcher at The Arc of the United States—I settled into the role of research professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, working primarily to address the gaps in research for individuals with disabilities. Another milestone in policy legislation that spans many of our careers is this year’s 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disability Act (ADA), signed in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. This momentous anniversary of the original legislation will also help me center my remarks on what has happened in the years since 1990, both within our organization and in the field of disability research, policy, and practice.