“ National goals have been established to reduce the occurrence of mental retardation by one-half before the end of the century and to return one-third of the people in mental institutions to useful lives in their communities. The achievement of these goals will require the most effective possible use of public and private resources. ”

“ Our country has become increasingly aware in recent years of the need to assure those who are retarded their full status as citizens under the law, and of the continuing need to mobilize the support of the general public and of specialized professional and volunteer groups for mental retardation activities. We also know that we must constantly evaluate existing programs to determine their adequacy and must continually consider a broad range of proposals for new mental retardation activities. ”