The Council Program

Located in downtown Louisville’s e-Main Street district, The Council’s Leadership Institute (LI) was created to educate for leadership, service and advocacy. The vision of the LI is to increase our community’s ability to respect and respond to people with disabilities. This will be accomplished by working with community leaders and leaders within organizations and systems who can have a positive influence on the lives of people with mental retardation and other related disabilities.

In concert with the LI Advisory Board the Council on Mental Retardation approved a three-year strategic plan that through effective leadership will focus on the following objectives:

• Objective 1: Provide leadership to work in collaboration with community-minded citizens interested in developing and retaining direct service professionals (DSP).

• Objective 2: Provide leadership to increase employment opportunities in the community so that individuals with disabilities may more fully participate and strengthen the areas workforce.

• Objective 3: Provide leadership to improve the criminal justice system so that it applies fairness and understanding to individuals with mental retardation and related disabilities.

• Objective 4: Provide leadership and support to the faith communities to enable people with disabilities to participate fully.

• Objective 5: To promote and develop grass root leadership skills that enables advocates, people with disabilities and their family members to become leaders in their communities.

• Objective 6: To promote and ensure that quality health care services are available to consumers of mental retardation and other related disabilities.

• Objective 7: To heighten the awareness of issues related to mental retardation and other related disabilities among the civic organizations.

• Objective 8: To develop financial, informational, and human resources in order to fulfill the mission of the LI.

The above objectives will be accomplished through a multitude of strategies including collaboration among sectors and participation of diverse groups; and a full range of competency-based training and consulting services to community-based organizations through workshops, seminars, speakers, consulting solutions, and hands-on training.