CAIC NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Purpose
The National
Advisory Board will inform and advise the CAIC Board of Directors on
national perspectives and the current state of knowledge on issues
affecting the quality of life of people with developmental disabilities.
The CAIC Board of Directors recognizes that effective leadership requires
broad knowledge, independent perspectives, and technical expertise for
addressing key policy questions.
National Advisory Board Members
Dr. Mary Cerreto
Mary Cerreto has worked for 25 years in the field of developmental
disabilities, early intervention, quality assurance and accreditation, and
pediatric and primary care psychology. She was Assistant Commissioner,
Office of Quality Enhancement for the Massachusetts Department of Mental
Retardation, has presented at numerous national conferences, written
extensively, and has been on the Editorial Board for many professional
journals. She is currently faculty in the Department of Family Medicine
at Boston University and an independent consultant to several state
governments.
Dr.
David Coulter
David Coulter is a renowned medical doctor in the developmental
disabilities field. He is currently President Elect of the American
Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR), the leading professional
organization in our field. Recently, at the National Goals Conference,
David was leader of the workgroup charged with creating research goals for
the nation on issues of health and wellness of people with developmental
disabilities. Among his current responsibilities, David is on the faculty
of the Harvard Medical School and serves as the Director of Neurology at
the Boston Children's Hospital and Institute for Community Inclusion.
David is also co-editor, with the Rev. Bill Gaventa, of the Journal of
Religion, Disability, and Health.
The Reverend Bill Gaventa
Bill Gaventa is
one of the nation's leading advocates for people with disabilities and
spiritual life. He serves as coordinator of community and congregational
supports at the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities,
New Brunswick, NJ, where he works on community supports, training for
community services staff and supervision of a program in CPE. He also is
assistant professor, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and has served as
executive secretary for the religion division of the American Association
of Mental Retardation (AAMR) since 1985. He is Co-Editor of the AAMR
Journal of Health Disability and Religion and a member of the Board of
Directors of the The Arc of the United States.
Deborah Kaplan
Deborah Kaplan has been a leader in the disability rights movement for
over twenty years. She is currently the Executive Director of the World
Institute on Disability (WID) which serves as the policy arm of the
disability right and independent living movement, nationally and
internationally. Her current responsibilities include Verizon's
National Consumer Advisory Board, The Steering Committee of the Web
Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium, and Chair of
the Technology Committee for the Ed Roberts Campus project.
Dr. K. Charles Lakin
Charlie Lakin is
Director of Research and Training Center on Community Living and a
Research Fellow at the Institute on Community Integration at the
University of Minnesota. He is the author of over 100 books, articles, and
chapters on community living and residential services and a frequent
consultant to federal and state agencies. He has been a member of the
President's Committee on Mental Retardation and is a past recipient of
AAMR's Dybwad Humanitarian Award.
Ms. Patricia McGill Smith
Patti McGill Smith
has been one of the nation's foremost leaders of the parent movement over
the past three decades. She founded Pilot Parents in Nebraska in the early
1970s and was the founder of the National Parent Network on Disability.
She previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
Dr. Steven Taylor
Steve Taylor is
Director of the Center on Human Policy, Professor of Education, and
Coordinator of Disability Studies at Syracuse University. He was one of
the original framers of the Community Imperative declaration and has
worked closely with self-advocates, family members, and attorneys to
expand community services and supports for people with disabilities in New
York State and nationally. Mr. Taylor is the Editor of AAMR's journal
Mental Retardation and is a past recipient of AAMR's Research Award.
