Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) deserve respect and should be considered valued members of our society. The term “mental retardation” has evolved to be degrading and hurtful and is now associated by the public with intentional insulting stereotypes. Special Olympics International began the” Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign in 2008 as an effort to create awareness that the usage of the “R-word” must be eliminated.

To the Membership and Board of AADMD,

Thank you all for the honor of allowing me to serve as your president. I have been most fortunate to have longstanding friendships with many of you and look forward with enthusiasm to working together and meeting our new members.

Since our annual meeting in Arizona, we have produced two important policy statements for which we should be extremely proud.

Improving Care and Outcomes by Tracking Seizures in those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities