Medical and dental school students representing Special Olympics and the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) made a formal commitment at the sixth annual meeting of Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI-U) April 6. These future leaders pledged to push to have the treatment of people with intellectual disabilities included in university curricula, to end the use of the term mentally retarded in health settings, and to facilitate student volunteerism for the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program to bring health services and education to Special Olympics athletes.

The impact of this commitment will be enhanced access to and quality of care for people with intellectual disabilities. By implementing student chapter programs across the country, these students are helping to solve the healthcare problem for people with intellectual disabilities at one of its starting points - the education of medical professionals.

"We're energized to be a part of CGI-U and dedicated to implementing student chapters across the country in the coming years. We look forward to continuing to improve healthcare for people with intellectual disabilities at the grassroots level,” said Jara Johnson, an AADMD student leaders from the University of Rochester.