Meyer Schreiber:  Pioneer in the Field of Mental Retardation

Dr. Schreiber often speaks about his work at AHRC and the impact meeting parents of children with mental retardation had on him.  From 1958 through 1964, Dr. Schreiber was the director of group work and camping at AHRC.  Becoming aware of the issues that the presence of a child with mental retardation in a family could provoke for his/her non-disabled sisters and brothers, in 1961 Dr. Schreiber developed the first sibling group for adolescents.  He presented several papers about this work at meetings of the National Association of Social Workers and AAMD (today known as AAMR) and published articles, such as, "Siblings of the Retarded," which was printed in CHILDREN, the official publication of the U.S. Children's Bureau.  He also assisted the members of his adolescent sibling group in the writing of a pamphlet to help other siblings.  Half a million copies of the pamphlet entitled, "It's Tough to Have a Retarded Brother or Sister... But Here's What You Can Do About This," were printed.  Between 1961 and 1964, under Dr. Schreiber's supervision, AHRC's sibling groups expanded and other community organizations developed sibling groups.  These groups were the precursors to those for adult siblings that were developed by AHRC in the early 1980's and still function today.
 

In 1973, Dr. Schreiber was appointed Associate Professor of Social Work at Kean College of New Jersey.  Although his work grew to encompass many different populations, he continued to organize an annual sibling conference at Kean College and to run a training program for staff and siblings who wished to conduct sibling groups.  Dr. Schreiber provided leadership to the series of regional conferences organized by him and his colleagues from AHRC in the 1980's, bringing together professionals and families seeking to better understand the issues relevant to the lives of siblings of people with disabilities.
 

Dr. Schreiber has received many honors and awards in his more than 50 years of distinguished leadership and service.  Most recently he was honored with the First Integrity Award made by Common Cause - New Jersey for advancing integrity in local government.  And related to his sibling work, he received an Award of Appreciation for Sibling Program Development from the parents and siblings of the Middlesex Day Training Center in Woodbridge, New Jersey.  Dr. Schreiber is a creative worker who learns from the people he works with, turning his insights into ways to help others.  He learned from working with siblings and families of people with mental retardation and generated basic concepts about how to conduct this type of work which he has shared with the scores of professional social workers he has trained. 

Other Useful Sibling Resources on the Internet

Click on the highlighted text Resources-Other WebSites to go to the Family and Sibling Resources section provided on the AHRC Web Site.  If you would like more information on discussion groups and listservs, please click here for a sibling support website.

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