Health Resources
The Current State of Health Care for People with Disabilities: This report from the National Council on Disability identified a broad range of recommendations for reforms that are required to address some of the most significant obstacles to health, health care, and disease prevention and health promotion for people with disabilities. Recommendations are directed to key stakeholders, including Congress and the Administration, accreditation and professional medical organizations, states, and non-Federal organizations concerned with disability, health, and health care policy and research.
Closing the Gap: A National Blueprint to Improve the Health of Persons with Mental Retardation: Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Health Disparities and Mental Retardation, 2002: This national Blueprint drew the attention of the Nation to the longstanding health disparities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities and identified goals and action steps for improving their health. The Blueprint took the essential first steps needed to bring together self-advocates with intellectual disabilities and their families with the scientists, health care providers, professional training institutions, advocacy organizations, and policymakers who can make a difference in the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities: This report describes the particular challenges to health and wellbeing faced by persons of all ages with disabilities and emphasizes that health and wellness is a key component to equal opportunity, workforce engagement and full access into daily community life for people with disabilities.
Disability and Health in the United States, 2001-2005: This Report from the CDC examines health-related differences between disabled and non-disabled non-institutionalized adults aged 18 years and over including education, income, and employment, health status, health risk factors, access to care and clinical preventive services.
A Blind Spot in the System: Health Care for People with Developmental Disabilities: This report presents findings from in-depth key informant interviews with 20 health care providers and representatives of county health departments, county health plans, and community-based organizations. Stakeholders identified a number of barriers to health care for adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities and made a number of recommendations with regard to improving health care access and quality of care.
Promoting Health and Preventing Disease for People with Disabilities: The Unique Role of CDC’s Division of Human Development and Disability Webinar Series: A 4-part webinar series co-sponsored by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) and the American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) that focused on CDC’s public health approach to disability.
Left Out in the Cold: Health Care Experiences of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Massachusetts
This report from the Arc of Massachusetts focuses on the health care issues faced by those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and covers a variety of subjects, ranging from knowledge to health care access.
Where in Health is Disability? Public Health Practices to Include People with Disabilities. This session of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Public Health Grand Rounds webcast focuses on disability and health. The work of NCBDDD’s Division of Human Development and Disability and its network of partners will present data on health differences and risk factors of poor health in individuals with disabilities, demonstrate physical activity programs implemented by CDC’s Arthritis program and reveal best practices for the inclusion of disability in national public health organizations.
Being A Healthy Woman This is a online book to help women with intellectual disabilities learn more about their health. It also provides a list of resources for women with intellectual disabilities, their family members, care givers or health care professionals. It can be used as a teaching tool to help women with intellectual disabilities learn about their health.
Access to Healthcare for Women & Girls with Disabilities - This report from one of The Arc’s Chapters and HealthMeet pilot sites, Achieva, is a review of the findings of why women with disabilities have difficulty accessing healthcare. It focuses on 4 main categories 1. Lack of accessible equipment, 2. Communication barriers, 3. Financial barriers, 4. Shortage of providers. In order for women to receive quality healthcare it needs to be accessible and respectful. Solutions are presented at the end for ways to help improve this process in Pennsylvania and throughout the U.S. for all women and girls with disabilities.
Smoking and Tobacco Use - Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States killing almost 1 in every 5 adults each year.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Smoking and Tobacco page provides programs on how to successfully quit smoking, cessation materials, fact sheets, and links to local resources. They provide data and statistics on the percentage of individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability who smoke compared those individuals without a disability.
Disparities in Cigarette Smoking among Adults wtih Disabilities - Report from the CDC revealing the prevalence of cigarette smoking in adults with disabilities broken down by state. Specific state smoking cessation programs are highlighted along with linkages to resources for other state-based programs and tips for quitting.
Oral Healthcare for Children with Developmental Disabilities - This clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics describes the effect that poor oral health has on children with developmental disabilities as well as the importance of partnerships between the pediatric medical and dental homes. It also provides a basic overview of the oral health risk factors affecting children with developmental disabilities.
Good Nutrition Is a Key to Health - The National Resource Center on Nutrition & Aging presents an hour long presentation during March’s National Nutrition Month featuring Kathy Greenlee, the Assistant Secretary for Aging with the Department of Health and Human Services. Ms.Greenlee discusses the importance of good nutrition in healthy aging to maintain independent living in the elderly. She also provides her thoughts on the future sustainability of senior nutrition services as part of the larger aging network.
Organizations
National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability: The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) is positioned to effect change in health promotion/obesity management among people with disabilities through its existing 13-year history of providing advocacy, services and programs to numerous organizations and people throughout the country. The primary focus of the Center’s approach is to collaborate with the nation’s leading health advocacy and disability organizations in linking them to the hundreds of program initiatives ongoing across the nation, and using this framework to build inclusion and integration into these existing programs.
Join NCHPAD's 14 Week Health Promotion Program - a free, personalized, web-based phyiscal activity and nutrition program for people with disabilities.
American Association on Health and Disability: The mission of AAHD is to contribute to national, state, and local efforts to prevent additional health complications in people with disabilities, and to identify effective intervention strategies to reduce the incidence of secondary conditions and the health disparities between people with disabilities and the general population.
CDC State Disability and Health Programs: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) state-based disability and health programs inform policy and practice at the state level. These programs ensure that individuals with disabilities are included in ongoing state disease prevention, health promotion, and emergency response activities. CDC supports 18 state-based programs to promote equity in health, prevent chronic disease, and increase the quality of life for people with disabilities. Each program customizes its activities to meet its state’s needs, which broadens expertise and information sharing among states.
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities Lifespan Health and Function (RRTCADD): As persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities are living longer and their presence in the community increases there is a growing need for information on ways to support these adults and their families. The RRTCADD seeks to enhance the health, function, and full community participation of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) across the lifespan and bolster family caregiving capacity through a coordinated set of research, training in evidence-based practice, and dissemination activities.
Within the RRTCADD, HealthMatters™ CAP (http://www.HealthMattersProgram.org) has collaborations between community-based organizations and an academic institutions to support people with developmental disabilities (DD) in our communities throughout the lifespan. HealthMatters™ CAP engages community partners to find practical solutions to improve health through a variety of training, research, and service learning initiatives, including the HealthMatters™ Train the Trainer Program - an evidence-based 6-hour training that provides structured information on how to organize and start a tailored physical activity and health education program for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD).
Familylink is a unique technology that monitors in-home motion and uses a simple easy-to-use interface to connect families to their loved ones. It gives you, your family and caregivers the peace of mind that your loved one is safe when you are not around. It allows for your loved one to live independently while still being able to be easily connected at any time through simplified tools on the touch screen display. Through built-in motion detectors located in the room, Familylink can track activity levels in each room and set notification alerts that will be triggered based on the user’s normal routine.
Disability.gov - Find health information/resources by different search criteria, such as national and state/local resources, health related topic areas, types of disabilities or audience type.