Chief Concerns

As a member of the Presidential Committee on Mental
Retardation, JARC Executive Director Joyce Keller meets with
President Clinton.

MARA REINSTEIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

oyce Keller has one goal in mind as a
member of the Presidential Commit-
tee on Mental Retardation.
"We need to keep people grounded in
the practical aspects of public policies," said
Ms. Keller, the executive director ofJARC
(Jewish Association for Residential Care).
Ms. Keller, along with the other 20 mem-
bers of the committee, met with President
Clinton in the White House Dec. 11 to dis-
cuss this issue, along with the rest of the com-
mittee's concerns.
Other issues included inclusion into so-
ciety, federal program funding,
Joyce
Keller: use of Medicaid and employ-
Presidential
ment advancement. John F.
advice.
Kennedy Jr., a committee mem-
ber, specializes in the latter kind of oppor-
tunity in "Reaching Up," a national nonprofit
program that employs people with special
needs.
Ms. Keller joined the committee in May
1995, and her input is based on her 19-year
association with JARC. Since its inception
in 1969, the nonprofit JARC has established
16 residential homes in the metro-Detroit
area, housing more than 150 individuals.
"I see everything on a day-to-day basis,"

1611

Ms. Keller says. "I know the joys and the
dilemmas of doing this."
According to Ms. Keller, the biggest issue
the presidential committee deals with that
affects JARC is Medicaid. Financial medical
aid used to apply only to those living in in-
stitutions. But after strong advocacy, the pro-
gram now applies to those in community
homes, like those ofJARC. Proposed reforms
could change the amount of aid allotted.
"Everything is still in the early stages, but
the reforms could be critical," says Ms. Keller.
"The money should be spent in ways that
benefit the people."
The diverse committee members make an
impact on the developmental-disability field.
They consist of policy makers, trainers, re-
searchers, program coordinators, and direct
program providers like Ms. Keller.
Although the committee meets three to
four times each year in Washington, last
week's meeting with the president was Ms.
Keller's first encounter with the chief exec-
utive.
'We basically told him about the world as
we'd like to see it," she said. "He did a lot of
listening and seemed very appreciative. He
was quite tuned in to the issues." ❑

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