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A Long Journey With The Council "Because of a gentle yet remarkable social revolution, we no longer question the inclusion of people with mental retardation in every arena of community life." Dan Fisher, President Natalie Semaria Stephanie was just three years old when our family moved to Louisville from Chicago, and we were just beginning to understand the extent to which our family life would be affected by her diagnosis of severe to profound mental retardation. At that time, the early 1970s, the accepted wisdom was that children with such developmental disabilities were better off in institutions and that families would not be able to cope with the degree of difficulties such children presented. For our family, and for others like us, that advice was more hurtful than helpful. We knew in our hearts that Steffie belonged at home. Indeed, our neurologist in Chicago had advised us to keep her with us and treat her as normally as possible. Our neurologist in Louisville referred us to a preschool program for children with cerebral palsy. The problem, however, was that Steffie’s degree of mental retardation was too severe for her to remain in that program. That is when the Council stepped in with the message that children like ours could thrive in regular families if the proper community supports were in place. What a welcome message that was. It gave me the affirmation that what my heart said was right and best for me was, arguably, the best for Steffie as well. (Natalie & Steffie's Full Story)
I hope you will enjoy reading The Council’s annual report f As you review the program reports for the past year, I hope that you will find the information helpful, and that perhaps it will spark a special interest within you to become more involved in the work of Citizen Advocacy, Parent Outreach, Educational or Legislative Advocacy, or some other program and activity of the Council. There are opportunities for everyone, and Council members and friends who support our work, make it possible for the Council to grow and expand its outreach and support. In these difficult financial times, fund raising continues to be an important aspect of my work. The CMR Annual Campaign has reached 90% of its goal. If you haven’t yet contributed to the annual campaign and would like to do so, please send your check to the Council or go to our website and donate on line. The Council’s major fund raiser, Art from the Heart, will be held on March 28th at the Downtown Marriott. For more information on dinner and auction tickets or sponsorship opportunities, please call Carol Mueller at the Council Office. I have been blessed with a 40 year perspective on the work of the Council. I have been inspired by the committed parents, families, and volunteers who work tirelessly to forge a better future for their children and loved ones with disabilities. I have had the honor of working with fine professionals at the Council who put their hearts and souls into responding to the needs of consumers and their families and who take on bureaucracy and compliancy daily. Much has changed during this time, and the Council can rightfully assume credit for many of the positive changes—developing of services via model programs, monitoring services for quality, increasing public awareness, and impacting funding and policy decisions at a state level. We must remember, however, that much still needs to be done—there continue to be gaps in services, financial constraints, and a lack of public understanding of our vision that every adult and children with mental retardation be included, empowered, and valued in our community. I hope you will join me in continuing this important work. April DuVal, Executive Director |
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2008. As many of you already know, 2008 was a great year for the
Council. We served more consumers and families than ever before,
more people were involved in our leadership and training
activities, there were more families than ever participating in
the “Planning for the Future” seminars, we continued our strong
advocacy effort in Frankfort, and we moved into new office space
that is wonderful and will aid us in continuing to meet the
needs of children and adults with mental retardation.