Academy

What is the Academy?

The IASSIDD Academy on Education, Teaching and Research was established in 2006 by the IASSIDD Council. How the IASSIDD Academy began…

Mission:
To provide education and training experiences in the form of workshops, courses, seminars, lectures, and training resources. The Academy may also offer hands-on consultation.

The Academy particularly strives to:

  • Further the knowledge of disability professionals around the world.
  • Address the education and training needs of disability professionals and organizations in less affluent countries.
  • Assist disability professionals to apply research and scientific knowledge to their policies and services, and to the lives of individuals and families they support.
  • Foster capacity for research, generating knowledge, and developing research-based policy and practice.

What does the Academy do?

The Academy provides educational materials and opportunities on intellectual and developmental disabilitis for disability professionals, families, and others around the world.

  • Pre-congress workshops at annual IASSIDD congresses. View past workshops and events.
  • Workshops on any topic related to intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • Lectures and speeches — conferences, training, etc.
  • Courses
  • Webinars
  • Training resources
  • International Visits Program. See details here.

Training resources Click here.

  • Links to training resources.
  • IASSIDD original training resources.

Academy News

Singapore group enjoys IASSIDD Academy’s International Visits Program

Delegation from Rainbow Centre, Singapore, visits the UK and The Netherlands. Read more…

Get involved in the Academy

2. Become a Partner Organization

Academy Partner Organizations collaborate with the Academy to plan and carry out one or more activities each year.

3. Host or go on an International Visit 

For more information visit International Visits Program

Flyer IASSIDD International Visits Program.

Contact us

Inquiries about hosting a workshop, lecture, or course:
Ivan Brown, Academy Director
ivan.brown@live.ca

Inquiries concerning pre-congress workshops:
Angela Hossiotis, Associate Director
a.hassiotis@ucl.ac.uk

Inquiries about developing educational and training materials:
Judith McKenzie
Judith.mckenzie@uct.ac.za
Michael Arthur-Kelly
michael.arthur-kelly@newcastle.edu.au

Inquiries concerning international visits program:
Su McAnelly
su.mcanelly@northumbria.ac.uk

Other general inquiries:
The Academy office — Attn: Ivan Brown, Academy Director
ivan.brown@live.ca

Academy Board Meetings

The 2020 meeting will be held via Zoom. Date to be announced.
The most recent in-person Academy Board Meeting took place in Glasgow, Scotland on August 7, 2019.

Tributes to Founders of the Academy

Three IADDIDD members stand out among the many supporters of establishing the IASSIDD Academy: Giorgio Albertini, Matthew Janicki, and Roy Brown. As described by Matthew Janicki, Giorgio was the conceptualizer, Matthew was the shepherd, and Roy was the executor. He also added that the brief tributes below highlight their most important contributions, but in practice there was much collaboration and overlap of roles.

Giorgio Albertini

As a member of IASSIDD Council, Giorgio Albertini proposed establishing a  mechanism for educating and training international intellectual disability personnel, and for carrying out research internationally. Following a feasibility study, this idea resulted in the formation in 2006 of IASSIDD’s Academy on Education, Teaching, and Research. Dr. Albertini was a strong supporter, and frequently a benefactor, of the Academy’s work throughout the early years. The strength of his conceptual, organizational, and financial support for the Academy was no doubt a very significant factor in its early success.

Matthew P. Janicki

Matthew Janicki, as Treasurer of IASSIDD, worked closely with Giorgio Albertini in developing the concept of the Academy. He was asked to convene and chair a working party to vet the idea, examine its practicalities, and make recommendations to IASSIDD Council. The working party completed its extensive work in 2006, leading to the official formation of the Academy. From 2006 to 2019, Professor Janicki was highly active and effective as Associate Director of the Academy, where he organized numerous events—often presenting workshops himself—and managed the Academy’s finances and fundraising. The Academy’s successful growth owes much to his ongoing and energetic contributions.

Roy I. Brown

Roy Brown was invited by IASSIDD Council in 2006 to accept the position of first Director of the Academy, a role he served in until December 2013. During his tenure, Professor Brown engaged numerous volunteer faculty from the IASSIDD membership to conduct lectures, workshops, consultations, and courses in numerous countries of the world. With unremitting energy and expertise, often lecturing and leading workshops himself, he focused on engaging disability professionals and families in both affluent and less affluent countries, and presenting scholarly knowledge in ways that could be readily applied. Among his achievements, he successfully advocated for the Academy to have a seat on IASSIDD Council. Roy’s solid leadership established the Academy as a strong source of international practical education for IASSIDD.

Get to know us

Executive Committee

Ivan Brown – Director


Keith McVilly – Associate Director

Angela Hassiotis – Associate Director

John Rose – Secretary

Roy Brown – Past Director

Academy Board Members

  • Ivan Brown
  • Angela Hassiotis
  • Keith McVilly
  • Roy Brown
  • Meaghan Edwards
  • Ken Poon
  • Rhonda Faragher
  • Michael Arthur-Kelly
  • Marco Lombardi
  • Maria Malbran
  • Hemendra Mistry
  • Patsey Prawley
  • Gerda de Kuijper
  • Su McAnelly
  • Judith McKenzie
  • John Rose
International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) 

The International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) is the first and only world-wide group dedicated to the scientific study of intellectual disability.

Founded in 1964 as the International Association for the Scientific Study of Mental Deficiency, IASSIDD is an international, interdisciplinary and scientific non-governmental organization which promotes worldwide research and exchange of information on intellectual disabilities.