ICI's Community Living Program Area Shares its Expertise at AAIDD Conference

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Wed Jul 12 2017
Jerry Smith delivering his acceptance for the 2017 Hervey B. Wilbur Historic Preservation Award at the AAIDD conference.

Seven staff members from ICI's Community Living program area attended the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) Annual Meeting in Hartford, Connecticut, June 26-29, participating in the conference's educational sessions, exhibits, poster presentations, and networking events. The gathering provides researchers; clinicians; practitioners; educators; policymakers; local, state and federal agencies; and advocates with cutting edge research, effective practices, and valuable information on important policy initiatives. "AAIDD is an essential organization through which we disseminate our research and knowledge translation products" says Amy Hewitt, director of the Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC-CL).  "They are one of the oldest and most trusted organizations regarding intellectual and developmental disabilities and play critical roles in the distribution of research, providing sound information to the judicial system regarding court cases that involve persons with intellectual disability and they are the leading organization on diagnosis and classification of intellectual disability in the world."

Highlights of RTC-CL staff participation in the conference included:

  • Filmmaker Jerry Smith received AAIDD's 2017 Hervey B. Wilbur Historic Preservation Award for significant contributions to historic preservation of the archives of the intellectual and/or developmental disabilities field and/or AAIDD. Smith has worked in disability history since the mid-1990s.
  • Hewitt presented on "Effective Recruitment and Retention Strategies of Direct Support Professionals" at the conference's Administration and Community Services Divisions Joint Breakfast Meeting.
  • Heidi Eschenbacher presented a poster titled, "How Have Residential Settings Changed for People with IDD and How Does Institutionalization Compare between the Overall U.S. Population and People with IDD?" that she and Sherri Larson created.
  • Angela Amado and Jody Van Ness presented a poster titled, "Conducting Research with Families: Recruitment Strategies and Intervention Experiences," co-created with Kelly Nye-Lengerman and Renáta Tichá.
  • Barb Kleist attended the Advocacy and Law Interest Group meeting and Julie Kramme attended the Spiritual Interest Group meetings.
  • Kleist, Kramme, and Smith staffed the RTC-CL booth at the conference.