Pathways to Disability Care and Equity

Disability Pride Month happens every July to mark the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the world's first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities, passed on July 26, 1990. The goal was to establish a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination based on disability. Boston held the first Disability Pride Day that year, and Chicago hosted the first Disability Pride Parade in 2004.?

The CDC reports that more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States has some type of disability. The chart below shows the range of challenges these individuals face. (1)

The Ongoing Struggle for People with Disabilities

Despite the large number of Americans with disabilities and the passage of ADA, people with disabilities still struggle with full access and support. From the CDC:

Healthcare access barriers for working-age adults include

• 1 in 4 adults with disabilities 18-44 years old do not have a usual health care provider
• 1 in 4 adults with disabilities 18-44 years old have an unmet health care need because of cost in the past year
• 1 in 6 adults with disabilities 45-64 years old did not have a routine check-up in the past year (1)

The American Psychological Association describes some of the barriers people with disabilities face in terms of medical care and job security. In the article “Despite the ADA, Equity is Still Out of Reach,” Stephanie Pappas shares how psychologists are pushing for solutions to make healthcare more accessible and for people with disabilities to receive more social and career support.?

Psychiatrists found that there is an unconscious bias in how health professionals treat people with disabilities due to lack of training. But the problems start early within the educational system because many schools are not set up for equity. (2) There has been an intense effort to reduce the stigma around disabilities and to help overcome these obstacles, which is why it is so important to celebrate and call attention to Disability Pride Month.

How Technology Can Support Equity Efforts?

Connie Sung, a professor of rehabilitation counseling at Michigan State University launched a program to help young adults with developmental disabilities prepare for employment opportunities. Each year, young adults with disabilities go to MSU for a vocational training program. One of their methods is to use virtual reality technologies to help individuals with autism gain skills, using avatars to simulate interactions. This technology has the benefit of overcoming many of the access and transportation issues that people with disabilities face. (2)

We find at Provisio that many of our clients who support individuals with disabilities transition to Salesforce because the platform can help overcome accessibility issues for clients. For example, we can create websites that allow clients to upload required documents rather than having to travel to a physical location to submit paperwork.?

Eric Oddleifson, Vice President of Community Support at Easterseals MA, invested in Salesforce because he knew it would make their deliverables higher quality, reduce staff stress, and free them from administrative work, allowing them to spend more time with clients. You can read more about their implementation here .?

Hiring Individuals with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Labor supports several initiatives that help employers hire individuals with disabilities and provides resources for employers, such as the tax incentives they will receive for hiring people with disabilities; how to build inclusive internship programs; and how to interview, recruit, and retain individuals with disabilities. (3)

Along with nonprofit and government efforts to provide employment opportunities, some families take matters into their own hands. Bitty & Beau’s Coffee describes their company as a “human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop.” The founders have two children with Down syndrome and one with autism. When they learned about the high unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities, they decided to create a place where people with disabilities are valued and given an opportunity for meaningful work.?

Their original shop opened in 2016 with 19 employees. Bitty & Beau’s Coffee has grown to 18 shops across 11 states with over 400 employees. If you don’t have one near you, you can support their shop by purchasing apparel, drinkware, or accessories with powerful, inclusive messaging. (4)

We Want a Life Like Yours

The 2024 Pride Theme is “We Want a Life Like Yours.” This theme comes from the Arc’s National Council of Self-Advocates. The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, serving them and their families. All month, they are sharing diverse stories of people with disabilities thriving as students, employees, leaders, and engaged members of their communities. (5)

You can visit the Arc’s website, linked below, to learn about the disability experience (or share your own disability story), how to take action, and access a list of Disability Pride events across the country.? Disability Pride Month is an excellent time to support businesses who hire and retain employees with disabilities. We also encourage you to reflect upon and deliver concrete solutions to allow people to live the lives they deserve. How are you acknowledging Disability Pride Month this year? We would love to hear from you.

Resources /Links

1. Centers for Disease Control, “Disability and Health Promotion:“Disability Impacts All of Us ”https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html

1. Pappas, Stephanie, “Despite the ADA, equity is Still Out of Reach,” American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/11/feature-ada

1. U.S. Department of Labor, “Hiring People with Disabilities” https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/disability/hiring

1. Bitty& Beau’s Coffee https://www.bittyandbeauscoffee.com/

1. The Arc, “Why and How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month” https://thearc.org/blog/why-and-how-to-celebrate-disability-pride-month/#:~:text=Disability%20Pride%20Month%20happens%20every,Disability%20Pride%20Parade%20in%202004