New Edition of The State of the States Tracks Financial Commitment of Each U.S. State and D.C. to Citizens With Disabilities

10/9/2002

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

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- How much money does the U.S. spend each year on services for citizens with disabilities? What programs get more funding-physical disabilities, mental illness, or developmental disabilities? Is your state a "leader" or a "laggard" in services for citizens with disabilities? The new 7th edition of Disability at the Dawn of the 21st Century and The State of the States gives you the whole picture on disability financing, complete with state-by-state profiles of trends in revenue, money spent, persons served, and individuals and families supported from 1982-2000.

For more than 20 years, policy makers, state agencies, health care professionals, advocacy groups, and organizations across America have come to rely on The State of the States for a comprehensive analysis of public spending on disability services.

Published by the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR), The State of the States is a one-of-a-kind study supported as a Project of National Significance by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

"The State of the States is significant in many ways," says noted disabilities scholar Dr. David Braddock, who led this study. "Apart from being a useful tool for state planning purposes, the study is particularly useful for disability advocacy groups, since for many consumers with disabilities, program and budget decisions made in state legislatures and public agencies frequently determine who receives which services and supports than general decisions made in Washington, DC." The spotlight on comparative state performance also encourages policy makers, administrators, and service providers to emulate leading states.

The 7th edition of The State of the States also features the first study ever to quantify spending on all disabilities programs, including mental retardation, mental illness, and physical disabilities. Also new to the 7th edition is a comparative study on forces shaping developmental disabilities services in the Michigan and Illinois and a history of disability in Western society.

BOOK: 498 p. Hardcover ISBN: 0-940898-85-3 $99.95 ($89.95 AAMR members)

Order book: Call 301-604-1340 or E-mail aamr@pmds.com Review copy/author interviews: Call Anna Prabhala at 202-387-1968, Ext. 212 or E-mail annap@aamr.org

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.