The Arc of the US Recognizes Excellence in Research at National Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico
October 20, 2008
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Albuquerque, New Mexico welcomes participants from across the country to The Arc's 57th Annual National Convention from November 5th - 8th at the Albuquerque Convention Center. This year's theme, "Telling Our Story - Weaving Our Future," recognizes outstanding leadership in advocating for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
During the Convention, Dr. Laraine Masters Glidden, a professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland will receive the Distinguished Research Award. Each year, The Arc honors individuals and organizations for their work in advancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Dr. Glidden has worked in the disability field for more than 40 years since her graduate school years at the University of Illinois, Urbana. She is most known for her groundbreaking research on positive outcomes for parents rearing children with developmental disabilities, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health for 20 years. The research has helped to change the thinking of both professionals and parents about what it means to have a family member with special needs.
In addition to contributing to the conclusion of parental resilience and positive adjustment, Dr. Glidden's research has significance for families rearing children with Down syndrome, and for parents whose children are facing the transition to adulthood. She has demonstrated positive adjustment in both mothers and fathers of children with Down syndrome and has identified higher levels of adaptive behavior in children with Down syndrome as one source of that positive adjustment.
Both nationally and internationally, she has held many leadership roles within the psychology and special educational fields, including positions as president of the Academy on Mental Retardation and of the Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities Division of the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Glidden's research on families is applauded by The Arc of the U.S. Through her focus on positive outcomes and parental resilience, she has helped to reshape the lens through which families are viewed, illuminating the rewards and satisfactions of having a person with intellectual disabilities as a family member.
The Arc is the world's largest community based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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