The American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) is an organization of professionals working in the field of mental retardation. The association has state/provincial chapters organized into 9 geographic areas and 18 divisions for specific professional disciplines.
AAMR publishes two professional journals, 'The American Journal on Mental Retardation', devoted to research in the field, and 'Mental Retardation', devoted to program activities. A bimonthly newsletter, 'News & Notes', provides up-to-date information on current issues and models of service. The association's testing materials include the Adaptive Behavior Scales, a test to measure the abilities of people who are mentally retarded.
The Arc (formerly the Association for Retarded Citizens) is a volunteer organization with more than 1,100 affiliated chapters and 140,000 members across the United States. The Arc is the country's largest voluntary organization committed to the welfare of all children and adults with mental retardation and their families.
The Arc is committed to securing for all people with mental retardation the opportunity to choose and realize their goals of where and how they learn, live, work and play. The Arc is further committed to reducing the incidence and limiting the consequence of mental retardation through education, research, advocacy and the support of families, friends and community. Through the successful pursuit of quality and justice, The Arc will provide leadership in the field of mental retardation and develop necessary human and financial resources to attain its goals.
The Arc has a wide variety of publications on topics related to mental retardation including facts sheets, booklets, Q&A's and position papers. Additionally the Arc hosts an annual conference.