“Making Our Point Clear” was the theme for the conference, held November 17-19, 2002 at the Marriott Grand Hotel in Point Clear. The meetings, designed to give the latest information on disability policy issues, were attended by 248 people, representing 39 of 54 states and territories.

On Monday Eranell McIntosh-Wilson, Associate Commissioner, Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, led the opening session of the conference. She was followed by Greg Smith, host of “On A Roll”, a nation-wide live radio show about living with disabilities. Break-out meetings followed on Monday and Tuesday, covering various topics including “Self Determination: What Is it? How Do We Achieve it?”, “Waivers for Community Supports”, “Using the Media To Make Our Point Clear” and “Self Advocacy: Captain of Your Own Ship”. Experts from around the country were on hand to lead these seminars and discussions about how to best exercise and protect the rights of persons with disabilities.

On Tuesday the meetings were closed with remarks at an afternoon luncheon from Kathy Sawyer, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, who spoke of the strides that have been made in Alabama concerning persons with disabilities. Other significant participants in the conference were Patricia Morrissey, the Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities and Sue Suter, Deputy Director of the new Office on Disability in the US Department of Health and Human Services. As George Bush appointees, Patricia Morrissey and Sue Suter are essentially responsible for directing the planning of developmental services in the United States.

For more information on Developmental Disabilities in Alabama call: 1-800-232-2158