The Facts of Life...and More: Sexuality and Intimacy for People with Intellectual Disabilities Paperback - 2007 - 1st Edition

John J. Barisa has dedicated his practice to the treatment and service of individuals with developmental disabilities and coexisting psychiatric conditions. He has developed his own unique methods in treatment, with emphasis on person-centered approaches in all areas, including sexuality. John J. Barisa has developed Psychological Perspectives, a clinic dedicated to service delivery and specific training for clinicians to work with developmental disabilities.

Marklyn P. Champagne, a registered nurse and licensed independent clinical social worker, has more than 30 years of expertise in the field of intellectual disabilities. She maintains a private practice in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, for consultation, individual therapy, group education, and creative solutions in issues of social and sexual development for individuals with intellectual disabilities. She is the co-creator of the CIRCLES(R) curriculum series.

Amy Gerowitz is President of OUTLOOKS, a consultation and training firm specializing in organization process improvement, board training, strategic planning and team building for public and private organizations. She was formerly President and Chief Executive Officer of Active Learning Systems, a company that provided central supports for public and private residential agencies. She is a former president of the American Association on Mental Retardation Community Living Division.

Leslie Walker-Hirsch is the president of Moonstone, a private consultancy and clinical practice specializing in social development, sexuality education, and consultation for individuals with intellectual disabilities, their families, professionals, schools, states, and agencies that support them. She has a master (TM)s degree in special education and administration. She is the founder of the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) Special Interest Group on Social and Sexual Concerns, is former President of the AAMR General Division, and serves on the National Clinical Advisory Board of the National Down Syndrome Society. She is a co-creator of the CIRCLES(R) curriculum series.

John D. Allen is Program Director of Employment Services at Marrakech, Inc., a human services agency based in Woodbridge, Connecticut. Allen is currently a doctoral candidate at Southern Connecticut State University who has a master (TM)s degree in urban studies and a bachelor of science in economics. He is the founder of the New Haven Gay & Lesbian Community Center and the Rainbow Support Group. John lives in Branford, Connecticut, with his partner, Keith Hyatte, the Charge Scenic Artist at Long Wharf Theatre.

Robert Joseph is a licensed New York State psychologist and sexuality consultant. He received his doctorate from the City University of New York. He has 26 years of experience with developmental disabilities, 19 specializing in sexuality and disability. He lives in New York City with his wife and his cat. Robert presents on the topic of disabilities throughout the Northeast.

Emily Perl Kingsley, winner of 16 Emmy Awards and a writer for SESAME STREET since 1970, is the mother of an adult with Down syndrome. She was instrumental in integrating children and adults with cognitive and physical disabilities into the format of SESAME STREET. She is the author of oeWelcome to Holland,  an essay that has been reprinted around the world. She has served as a member of the National Media Council on Disability, a group working to improve the ways in which people with disabilities are portrayed in the media. Recently, Ms. Kingsley was appointed to serve on the advisory board for a new partnership formed between SESAME STREET and the Special Olympics. She has also been appointed to the advisory board of the Anti-Defamation League Miller Early Childhood Initiative to combat prejudice and hate.

Ruth Luckasson, J.D., is Regent's Professor and Professor of Special Education and Coordinator of Mental Retardation and Severe Disabilities in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Professor Luckasson is Vice President of the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR). She served on former President Clinton's Committee on Mental Retardation, serves on the Litigation and Human Rights Committee of The Arc of the United States, and is the chair of the American Association on Mental Retardation's Committee on Terminology and Classification. Professor Luckasson formerly served as Chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law. She has published widely in the areas of legal rights of people with disabilities, people with mental retardation as defendants and victims in the criminal justice system, the definition of mental retardation, and children in special education.

Stuart A. Lustberg graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook Medical School in 1989 and completed his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in1993. He was accepted as a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1994. He resides with his wife and three children on Long Island in Huntington, New York, where he has maintained a private practice in obstetrics and gynecology since 1993.

Sherry Niccolai recently graduated with two master (TM)s-level degrees: one in Spanish and the other in special education from the University of New Mexico. She is currently working in the Austin Independent School District as a bilingual special education teacher.

Nancy Parello is the Communications Director for the Association for Children of New Jersey, a statewide child advocacy organization. Previously, she worked as a newspaper reporter for 16 years. She lives in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, with her sons, Alex and Ben.

Shay Platz is currently working in the New York metropolitan area. She is a recent graduate of Rhode Island School of Design with a bachelor of fine arts in photography. She has an interest in portraying people with disabilities in a realistic and sensitive way. For more information visit www.ShayPlatz.com or e-mail Shay@ShayPlatz.com.

Melissa Rennie is currently Community News Coordinator for the Sullivan County Bureau of the Times Herald-Record in Monticello, New York. She has written and edited numerous articles on risk management, advocacy, and inclusion related to people with intellectual disabilities. Her work has appeared in publications by the Irwin Siegel Agency and Frontline Initiatives. She is the former associate director of residential programs for Sullivan County ARC. She is a volunteer in several programs serving people with disabling conditions.

Mary E. White is a women (TM)s health care nurse practitioner specializing in family planning, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, and wellness care of women for over 20 years. She is a nurse colposcopist and has completed a fellowship in HIV/AIDS. She currently provides care to the medically underserved and underinsured at a community health center in Long Island, New York.

Melinda K. Hall is an artist living and working in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She graduated with a bachelor (TM)s of business administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and continued her postgraduate studies in fine arts at New Mexico State University. Her work has been seen in gallery and museum venues, as well as in public and private collections, both nationally and internationally since 1990.

John Rose is currently Vice President of the Irwin Siegel Agency, and has a master (TM)s degree in public policy. He is the past chairperson of the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) SIG on Direct Support Professionals and received the AAMR Presidential Award for Leadership. He currently serves as a trustee for the American Network of Community Options and Resources Foundation and is also a founding member of the Ontario Association on Developmental Disabilities in Canada.