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We must ask ourselves what is the picture we present to the public -- of ourselves and of those for whom we speak? If we talk only of retarded children, we must not be surprised if the community and the authorities are not ready to support programs for retarded adults. But also, if in our statements we seek narrowly the advantage of our own charges only and do not indicate a knowledge of and concern for the needs of other handicapped groups, we deprive ourselves of effective help from community agencies, community leaders, etc., and in the long run we retard our progress. This does not mean that we should neglect our cause, or fail to speak out specifically on our needs, but any step must be taken with an understanding of the total situation.

The situation is not such that we can afford as local associations to pick from the broad challenge shown on our now famous circle chart -- "A Well-Rounded Program for the Retarded" -- whatever activity appeals to our membership or "fits in" best with the situation we find in our community or, worst of all, happens to appeal to our benefactors. A man who promises us money under restrictive conditions which keep the local association from doing what is essential, such as supporting its state association, is not a benefactor at all.

Many of our units continue to emphasize the school classes they operate exclusively and do not recognize the long-range problems of the adult retarded, whose progress will thus be retarded by a lack of planning.

In city after city we meekly submit to the dictates of people in community councils and United Funds or in certain places in local welfare departments -- of people who have not even begun to understand the over-all problem of mental retardation. As you know, we cooperate with the United Funds that are willing to make adequate provision for the mentally retarded in their fund-raising program, but we should not consider them as qualified to determine our policies and to hold back our programs for the retarded.

The refusal of some united funds and community chests to support our state and national association is becoming a more serious problem month by month, but we must in fairness acknowledge that within our own membership there are units so parochial-minded that they can think only of the children in their own community. The state association seems to them to be far away and the national even farther. Yet it would not take much effort to show that it would be in the best of interest of their children for us actually to support mental retardation activities in foreign countries as well. Phenylketonuria was discovered in Norway, the phenylketonuria diet in England by an English-German team, the new chromosome discovery in Mongolism took place in England and France simultaneously, and just now the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness reports further important advances in Mongolism research from Australia.

It is just and fitting that we pause here today to acknowledge our lasting indebtedness to the pioneers of our movement, to those early leaders who set for themselves such high and far-sighted goals. But we should be mindful that we can do them no greater honor than if we depart from this tenth anniversary convention with renewed vigor and steadfast determination to pursue these goals. The path is clearly marked for us; we cannot afford to lag behind.