'Best Time of all Times...to Push Disability Initiatives Forward,' Says Director of New DHHS Office on Disability in AAMR Interview

1/6/2003

From: Anna Prabhala of the American Association on Mental Retardation, 202-387-1968, ext. 212, annap@aamr.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, -- In an interview with the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR), one of her first since being appointed director of the new Office on Disability at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Dr. Margaret Giannini sends an optimistic message to the disability community. With President Bush's New Freedom Initiative mandating full community integration of persons with disabilities, and the commitment of Health Secretary Tommy G. Thompson to disability issues, Dr. Giannini says there is no excuse not to implement reforms that make it possible for people with disabilities to participate in every aspect of community life in America.

Dr. Giannini calls these times a "breakthrough for the world of disabilities because we have so much support from the top."

The HHS Office on Disability officially opened its doors on October 1, 2002, and was created to centralize the initiatives outlined in the New Freedom Initiative, a comprehensive federal plan to remove barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in community life.

Dr. Giannini says the immediate priority of her Office is to seek out gaps that prevent full inclusion of persons with disabilities. She identifies life span transition as one such major gap for persons with disabilities in the U.S. "From birth to death, we don't really have a smooth transition for persons with disabilities," she explains. Her office plans on addressing this issue right away.

Assistive technology is another keen interest of Dr. Giannini. "We have to figure out a way to access technology easily, make it affordable, get funding, and make technology meaningful to the lives of individuals with disabilities," she says.

Dr. Giannini says partnerships are the way of the future, "the only way we are going to accomplish anything from now on." "Our work cuts across many disciplines. And we've got to work together to make it effective."

To read the full transcript of this interview, visit http://www.aamr.org/FYI/interview_giannini.shtml

Dr. Giannini's interview appeared in AAMR F.Y.I. (http://www.aamr.org/FYI/), the e-newsletter of the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR).

Founded in 1876, the mission of AAMR is to promote progressive policies, sound research, effective practices, and universal human rights for people with intellectual disabilities.