We are now planning to introduce into the curriculum a description of community-based rehabilitation in other countries, in addition to the services in Japan, and td provide more diverse materials in order to help the trainees examine the services in their own countries.
2. Activities of the Asian Federation for the Mentally Retarded (AFMR)
(a) The 12th Asian Conference on Mental Retardation
The 12th Asian Conference on Mental Retardation was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with Mrs. Connie Welikala as the president, from September 4 to 8,1995. Compared to previous Asian Conferences, the number of participants was small. There were 300 participants, of whom 250 came from Asia, including 120 from Sri Lanka and 20 from Japan; the remainder came from Europe and the United States. It is noteworthy that several participants came from Vietnam after a long period of time during which no one participated from that country. But on the other hand, the conference had a warm atmosphere.
Prof. Trevor R. Parmenter, President-Elect of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities (IASSID), made the keynote address following the opening ceremony. At the general meeting in the afternoon of the first day, Kaoru Yamaguchi reported about early education for children with developmental disabilities. Other reports at the general meeting were "Individual and Society" by Parmenter; "Aspects of Culture and Religion for People with Disabilities in Sri Lanka" by Nandasena Ratnapala of Sri Lanka; "CBR by Padomini Mendis of Sri Lanka, and "From Special Education to Inclusion Education" byTure Jonsson of Sweden, in the second day; and "Training Priorities for the 21st Century", by Roy McConkey of England, in the fourth day.
The number of reports at the workshops was very small; there were only twenty-two, not counting the country reports from each Asian country. From Japan, Kanji Watanabe reported about "The Development of Group Homes for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Japan", and Hirosuke Shimada reported "An Approach to Social Skills Training". The country report for Japan was given by Dr.Masataka Arima.
The third day of the conference was reserved for visits to facilities; the participants were divided into small groups for visits to schools and institutions.
The farewell party was held in the evening of the fourth day. It was a very Sri Lankan party, where songs and dances continued endlessly.
On the last day, prior to the closing ceremony, the general report of the conference was given by Father Brendan O'Connell.
(b) Meetings of the Boards of Directors and General Assembly of the Asian Federation for the mentally Retarded (AFMR)
The Board of Directors met before and during the Asian Conference; another meeting was held by the new directors after the Conference.
At the meeting, there was a discussion about which of two organizations in India should be accepted as a member of the Asian Federation. Finally, the Board decided to propose to the General Assembly that SAMADHAN should be the formal member.
It had already been decided that the next Asian Conference would be held in Bangladesh, and Mrs. Salam was elected as the president.
The Board also confirmed that the permanent secretariat is located in Singapore, and decided that the two organizations in Singapore should discuss who will become the person responsible for the secretariat,reporting back on this within one month.
A proposal about the affiliation of China that Prof. Yamaguchi offered to the Board last year, "When mainland China participates as a member, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong should all be formal members for the time being", was confirmed and referred to the General Assembly. Second, an increase in the membership fee for the Asian Regional Conference ($20 for members, $10 for associate members) was
