Chairperson
Special Interest Research Group on Health IssuesD
D r. Mike P. Kerr (Wales)
[email protected]
Vice chairperson
Dr Helen Beange (Australia)
[email protected]
Steering Committee
Mike Kerr (UK) Chairperson [email protected]
Heleen Evenhuis (NL), Past Chairperson
[email protected]
Helen Beange (AUS), Vice Chairperson [email protected]
Bob Davis (AUS), Secretary [email protected]
Vee Prasher (UK), Treasurer [email protected]
Henny Lantman (NL) [email protected]
Markus Kaski (FI) [email protected]
Monica Björkman (SE) [email protected]
Olive Webb (NZ) [email protected]
Robyn Wallace (AUS) [email protected]
The Special Interest Research Group on Health Issues was founded in 1996.
Its aims are to promote physical health of people with an intellectual
disability by formulating priorities for health care, research and training
and by sharing ideas and results.
The group consists of general practitioners (family doctors), medical
specialists, physiotherapists, speech and hearing therapists, optometrists,
dieticians, dentists, and nurses (as well as others interested in health
issues). The SIRG organizes annual roundtables in varying countries around
specific themes, consisting of update lectures and free papers. The group
has held roundtables in Leyden, the Netherlands (1998); in Manchester,
England (1999); and in Gothenburg, Sweden (2001). No roundtable was held
in 2000 due to the IASSID World Congress in Seattle..
One of its first activities was the development of an international consensus
statement on the early identification of hearing and visual impairment
in children and adults with an intellectual disability. Other themes have
been: health targets, treatment and intervention of sensory impairment,
consensus statement on epilepsy, pain, end-of-life decisions/palliative
care, and comorbidity in cerebral palsy. At the IASSID congress in Seattle
2000, the SIRG organized and provided a pre-congress update course on
visual impairment and coordinated congress symposia on physical health
issues.
Copies of the Health Issues SIRG publications are available from the Chairperson.
You can download the : Health
Guidelines for an Adult with an Intellectual Disability here.
First
Announcement
Combined International Roundtable of the Health Issues and Mental Health SIRGs
of IASSID, 2005.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
September 28-30, 2005
