People Inc. president named to presidential commission

James M. Boles

James M. Boles, president and CEO of People, Inc., was selected by President George W. Bush to sit on the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-Amherst, nominated Boles.

The PCPID, formerly the President's Committee on Mental Retardation, is a federal advisory committee, established to advise the President and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on issues concerning citizens with intellectual disabilities, coordinate activities between different federal agencies and assess the impact of their policies upon the lives of citizens with intellectual disabilities and their families.

The committee produces an annual report to the President which is the product of members of the committee resulting from a variety of conferences. All committee activities include input from self-advocates (consumers receiving services), family members, professionals, researchers, service providers, state agency leaders, and direct support professionals.

"I am honored to receive this appointment by the President and most grateful to Congressman Reynolds for recognizing the importance of developmental and intellectual disability issues," Boles said, who has headed People Inc. since 1981.

Reynolds responded to the announcement, saying "As one of only 21 members, and the only representative from New York State, this gives People Inc. and all of the parents and providers the opportunity to influence policies in Washington, affecting people that are developmentally disabled."

The PCPID was initially organized as a blue ribbon panel by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Kennedy had a sister who was mentally retarded and the Kennedy family is well known for the creation of the Special Olympics. In 1966, under an Executive Order by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the commission was formally established as a Committee. In 1974, new goals for the Committee focusing on de-institutionalization, prevention and legal rights were established by President Richard Nixon. In 1996, a new set of goals for the Committee encouraging full community inclusion and citizens' rights were created by President William Jefferson Clinton.

On Feb. 1, 2001, President Bush announced the creation of the New Freedom Initiative. The initiative is a nation-wide effort to remove barriers to community living for people of all ages with disabilities and long-term illnesses.

Boles said, "In the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of individuals with disabilities," this initiative supports states' efforts to meet the goals of the Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court decision issued in July 1999 that requires states to administer services, programs and activities.

"From a policy setting standpoint, what happens in places like Washington and Albany has a major impact on people with intellectual disabilities," Reynolds said. "Employment, healthcare and self-sufficiency are things a lot of us face but especially those with a disability."

Boles will officially start his responsibilities the end of September when he is in

Washington, D.C. for an inaugural meeting. forward to using my position on the

"I look forward to using my position on the PCPID Committee as a voice for parents, consumers and our workforce," he said.

It is estimated that between seven and eight million Americans of all ages, or 3 percent of the general population, experience intellectual disabilities. Nearly 30 million, or one in 10 families, in the United States are directly affected by a person with intellectual disabilities at some point in their lifetime. Intellectual disabilities present a major challenge to the social, educational, health and economic systems within the United States.