Supporting Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities & Mental Illness

Research leading to the creation of this book was funded by Alberta Health Services and Alberta Human Services
as part of the Collaborative Research Grant Initiative: Mental Wellness in Seniors and Persons with Disabilities
and by the Athabasca University Academic Research Fund. We are grateful to these funders and to the dually
diagnosed individuals and their caregivers who participated in our study. Our research participants asked for a resource that summarizes essential background information and key points. Thank you for your encouragement as we extended the original project.
Throughout our process of writing this book, individuals from the fields of nursing, psychiatric nursing, disability
studies, counselling, developmental service work, and behavioural analysis graciously donated their time to
review drafts and offer suggestions. We express our sincere thanks to the following individuals: Gail Ancill,
Deputy Registrar, College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of British Columbia, Port Moody, British Columbia;
Tracey Eklund and Robert Lockhart, Faculty, Psychiatric Nursing, Grant MacEwan University, Ponoka Campus,
Ponoka Alberta; Karen Heslop, Chair, Disability Studies Leadership and Community, Grant MacEwan University,
Edmonton, Alberta; Barbara Lowe, Executive Director, College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Alberta,
Edmonton, Alberta; Terry Lowey, Program Coordinator, Developmental Services Worker Program, Confederation
College, Thunder Bay, Ontario; Dr. Yona Lunsky, Clinician Scientist, Dual Diagnosis Services, Centre for Addiction
and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario; Dr. Deena Martin, Director of Alberta Counselling Programs, City
University of Seattle, Edmonton, Alberta; Colleen Orrick, Developmental Services Worker Program, Loyalist
College, Belleville, Ontario; Carol Prechotko, Counselling and Student Disability Services, Cambrian College of
Applied Arts and Technology, Sudbury, Ontario; Chris Thomson, Director, Excel Academy, Edmonton, Alberta;
and Dr. Jason Vladescu, Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis, Caldwell University, Caldwell, New
Jersey. Without your insight, wisdom, and support, this book might not have been possible.

Cut Rita Zahara

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