[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 35 (Monday, September 5, 1994)]
[Page 1725]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Appointment for the President's Committee on Mental Retardation

August 26, 1994

    The President today announced the appointment of Ann M. Forts of 
Center Harbor, New Hampshire, as a member of the President's Committee 
on Mental Retardation (PCMR).
    Ms. Forts will become the second self-advocate [a person with mental 
retardation] to serve as a member of the President's Committee on Mental 
Retardation and the second self-advocate appointed by the President to 
serve on the Committee.
    In appointing Ms. Forts, the President praised the contribution that 
she will make as a self-advocate on the PCMR Board: ``Ann Forts 
represents the goal of my administration in meeting the needs of 
citizens with disabilities. By listening to citizens with disabilities, 
as experts about their lives and what they need to live healthy and 
productive lives, we will be able to pursue our common vision of moving 
from exclusion to inclusion, from dependence to independence, from 
paternalism to empowerment. I look forward to the insight and wisdom Ann 
Forts will share with the members of the President's Committee on Mental 
Retardation.''

Note: A biography of the appointee was made available by the Office of 
the Press Secretary. This item was not received in time for publication 
in the appropriate issue.