The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities

By Andrew Hazard

When one becomes the President of the United States, there are many matters of public policy that person is responsible for handling. Various advisory bodies, centered around specific policy areas, exist to provide assistance to the President through their expertise. One of these bodies is the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID). As the name would suggest, the PCPID advises the President on policy issues relating to people with intellectual disabilities. For decades, this committee has played an important role in guiding the President’s hand in addressing the plight of individuals with intellectual disabilities. To better understand the PCPID, this article will examine the history, mission and activities of the body.

The committee was originally born under President John F. Kennedy’s administration as a panel that advised the President on intellectual disabilities [2]. Prior to President Kennedy’s inauguration, issues relating to intellectual disabilities seldom received federal or state funding. Minimal scientific research on the causes of these disabilities was conducted at the time, and very few doctors or educators were knowledgeable enough to provide adequate aid to affected individuals. To address these problems, President Kennedy assembled a panel of scientists, doctors, and others with relevant experience. This panel first met on October 18, 1961 and was tasked with submitting a report to the President which outlined a plan of action regarding the field of intellectual disability. The resulting report included over 100 recommendations from the panel, including the launch of new maternity and prenatal care programs, a pivot toward community-based institutions, the construction of modern research centers that offered a whole host of services, and greater investment in special education and rehabilitative programs [2]. This later led to the signing of an amendment to the Social Security Act on October 24, 1963, which contained many of the panel’s propositions, as well as the provision of state grants for updating disability programs and additional funding for preventative maternity and infant care. Just a week later, another piece of legislation granted funding for constructing facilities that would offer preventative care and treatment in relation to intellectual disabilities. Included in this funding were research centers specializing in the study of various causes of intellectual disabilities, diagnostic treatment clinics at universities, and community centers where disabled people would be cared for. The law also earmarked extra funding for the training of teachers with intellectually disabled students.

Succeeding President Kennedy’s panel was the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, formally created by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966, with the main goal of ensuring the right of intellectually disabled people to a “decent, dignified place in society” [1]. Since its inception, the PCPID has served as an advisor on the federal level. They advise the President, as well as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, on issues pertaining to intellectually disabled individuals. PCPID’s focus is placed on the independence of people with intellectual disabilities and their lasting inclusion in the community, through various policies and initiatives. PCPID is supported and overseen by the Administration for Community Living, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Since PCPID is merely an advisory committee, it does not hand out grants using federal funds from Congress. It also lacks the capacity to provide assistance, whether financial or technical, to any outside group or individuals.

As aforementioned, the mission of PCPID is to offer advice and assist both the United States President and the HHS Secretary on matters relating to intellectual disabilities. This covers a wide array of topics, and how they are implemented affects intellectually disabled people and even the intellectual disability field itself. This mission is based on the common goal of the PCPID’s members, to enhance the quality of life of people living with intellectual disabilities. They hope to achieve this goal by supporting the full rights of their citizenship, independence, self-determination, and unobstructed access to community participation [1].

The PCPID’s membership currently consists of 33 members in total. 20 of these members are citizens appointed by the President, who serve for two years at most. These individuals are generally from backgrounds that are diverse from one another. This includes people affected by intellectual disabilities, family members of the intellectually disabled, researchers, service professionals, representatives from the community and businesses, and systems advocates. The other 13 members are from the federal government, known as ex officio members. These ex officio members are the Attorney General of the US Department of Justice, the Secretary of the US Department of the Interior, the Secretary of the US Department of Commerce, the Secretary of the US Department of Labor, the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of the US Department of Transportation, the Secretary of the US Department of Education, the Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Commissioner of the US Social Security Administration, the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Chair of the National Council on Disability [1]. Except in cases where there are many vacant citizen seats, PCPID holds meetings among its members twice every fiscal year.

The regular meetings conducted by PCPID occasionally result in the release of a formal report meant to encourage further support for intellectually disabled individuals and the broader field. In 2024, a report entitled “Advancing Independence and Community Integration for All: Supporting Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities Through High-Quality Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)” was delivered to then-President Biden. PCPID’s report examined what needed to be done in order to boost access to home and community based services, concluding that higher wages, more training, and further professionalization of direct support should take the most precedence [3]. That only covers workplace concerns, but the report also incorporated other recommendations related to housing, technology and communication access.

The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities has been a valuable advisory board to our leaders for about 60 years now. The committee has had a lasting commitment to ensuring the rights of people living with intellectual disabilities and improving the quality of life of such individuals. Their extensive research has produced incredibly detailed reports, which once presented to the President, has resulted in important legislation that has advanced the cause for which they fight. The input of experts in the field and disabled people themselves, as members of the board, has simultaneously enhanced our common understanding of the field of study and given a greater voice to the people most affected by the policies that follow. Given the PCPID’s longstanding advocacy for the intellectual disability community, hopefully the body remains as an advisor to the President for many years to come.

References

[1] ACL. (2025). The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID). Administration for Community Living. https://acl.gov/programs/empowering-advocacy/presidents-committee-people.

[2] jfklibrary.org. (2021). John F. Kennedy and People with Intellectual Disabilities. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/john-f-kennedy-and-people-with-intellectual-disabilities.

[3] Jorwic, Nicole. (2024). President’s Committee for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Releases Report on Community Living-Highlighting the Needs of DSPs. NADSP. https://nadsp.org/2024-pcpid-report-video/.