Fall 2005
Welcome to Health and Disability News! This quarterly e-mail newsletter is published by the American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD). The mission of AAHD is to advance health and wellness initiatives for people with disabilities, as well as to identify effective intervention strategies to reduce the incidence of secondary conditions and health disparities between people with disabilities and the general population. AAHD accomplishes its mission through research, education and advocacy. Please send comments and suggestions to the editor, Nancy Campbell, at documentor@comcast.net.
News from AAHD
Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities
Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma have highlighted the gaps in our current relief systems, especially for people with disabilities. AAHD continues to support national efforts to both help people with disabilities recover from these recent storms and plan for future emergencies of all kinds.
AAHD Sponsors Webinars
During the last two months, AAHD sponsored two Webinars for state grantees, partners and other interested parties.
AAHD and CDC to Host 2006 Annual State Grantee and Partner Meeting
The annual AAHD/CDC Grantee and Partner meeting will be June 29-30, 2006, in conjunction with the Special Olympics U.S. Games in Ames, Iowa. Special Olympics will host a symposium on disability and health as well as a congressional committee hearing.
I Can Do It—You Can Do It Pilot Program to Be Launched
The pilot program version of I Can Do It—You Can Do It will launch during the next two months. I Can Do It—You Can Do It is a physical fitness and nutritional awareness mentoring initiative for children and youth with disabilities.
BRFSS Publication
AAHD’s latest publication, BRFSS State and Territorial Questions Related to Disability and Activity Limitation (1999-2005), will be available online later this month. Please e-mail contact@aahd.us for a link to the document.
AAHD Participates in White House Conference on Youth and Celebrating Persons with Disabilities
AAHD staff attended the White House Conference on Youth on October 27, 2005, hosted by President and Mrs. Bush at Howard University in Washington, DC. AAHD also participated in Celebrating Persons with Disabilities on October 26, 2005 at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which was sponsored by the department’s Office on Disability.
State Grantee News
Minnesota Helps Its Disability Community Focus on Secondary Conditions
As one of the four newly funded states, Minnesota is making connections among disability organizations and helping them promote health and prevent secondary conditions.
North Carolina: Stay Healthy, Get Your Flu Shot
North Carolina’s Office on Disability and Health (NCODH) is partnering with the Immunization Branch (IB) of the N.C. Division of Public Health to boost awareness of the need for flu shots for individuals with disabilities, families, caregivers, and health professionals.
Oregon Holds Sixth Annual Wellness Conference
Under the direction of Angela Weaver-Roebuck, M.Ed., the Center on Community Accessibility at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) just held its sixth Celebrate Wellness (CW) conference on October 22, 2005. This very popular annual conference promotes the idea that healthy lifestyles are for everyone.
2005 Southwest Conference on Disability: Making It Real
The University of New Mexico’s (UNM) School of Medicine’s Center for Development and Disability (CDD), the New Mexico Governor’s Commission on Disability, the NM Department of Health, and their partners—the CDC, the Christopher Reeve Foundation and AAHD —just concluded the fifth very successful annual Southwest Conference on Disability: Quality of Life: Making It Real.
In the News
American Public Health Association to Hold Annual Meeting December 10 through 14 in Philadelphia
APHA’s Annual Meeting enables attendees to share successes and failures, discover best practices and catch up on the latest research. This year’s meeting will include scientific sessions, networking opportunities and events, and a public health exposition.
The Gulf Coast: Accessible Cities of the Future?
After the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Coast is about to be rebuilt on a massive scale. But for all the media attention paid to Katrina and its aftermath, there has been little discussion of building accessibility into homes, public buildings and commercial spaces.
Research Corner
2004 Disability Status Report
The summary statistics indicate the social and economic status of working-age people (ages 21 to 64) with disabilities, using data from the 2003 and 2004 American Community Surveys (ACS).
Body Mass Index in Elementary School Children Tied to Metropolitan Area Food Prices
A recent study found that lower real prices for vegetables and fruits were associated with a significantly lower gain in body mass index (BMI) for U.S. children between kindergarten and third grade. Half of that effect was found between kindergarten and first grade.
New Study of Katrina’s Effect on People with Disabilities
Glen White, director of the Research and Training Center for Independent Living, and other Kansas University researchers will study the effects of Hurricane Katrina on Gulf Coast residents with disabilities. Tony Cahill, director of the Center for Development and Disability at the University of New Mexico, will co-direct the one-year study.
Best Practices
Amputee Coalition of America: Improving Life for People With Limb Loss
The ACA provides education, support and advocacy for people who have lost a limb. Under the skillful and enthusiastic direction of president and CEO Paddy Rossbach, the coalition helps people with limb loss live happier and more successful lives.
Adapted Ski Season in Maine Starts January 3!
If you are a skier or rider at Sunday River Ski Resort, you may have come across kids whizzing by you on sit-down skis or snowboarding with outriggers. Or vivid orange vests worded “Deaf Skier” or “Guide” or bright red MHS volunteer jackets might have caught your eye.
Have Healthy Teeth
Participants in the oral health care program Have Healthy Teeth are enjoying the benefits of clean teeth, even months after completing the program. The Montana Disability and Health Program and People First Montana are conducting Have Healthy Teeth to reduce disparities in oral health between people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and other Montanans.
Transition Help for Youth and Families
The Institute for Child Health Policy (ICHP) recently completed work on a booklet for youth and families entitled “Envisioning My Future: A Young Person’s Guide to Health Care Transition.”
The ADA at Work
Home Depot Pays an Ex-Worker With a Disability
In a settlement that could create ripple effects throughout a small but growing community of workers with severe disabilities, Home Depot Inc. has agreed to pay $75,000 to a former employee who has an intellectual disability, because her supervisor fired her without first consulting her job coach.
What’s New from the CDC
Mark Swanson Leading CDC’s Disability and Health Team
Mark Swanson, MD, MPH, has spent his entire career working with children and adults with disabilities. Around two months ago, he pulled up stakes in Little Rock to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s program on disability and health in Atlanta.
Coming in the next issue
The winter 2006 issue of Health and Disability News will highlight the MENU-AIDDs program, which focuses on improving the availability and consumption of nutritious food in group homes. The program was developed by Kathy Humphries and the health and disability team at the University of Montana Rural Institute and the Montana Disability and Health Program.
AAHD also will report on the 2006 APHA annual meeting in Philadelphia, with a special focus on highlights of the Disability SPIG meetings.
Another coming attraction is the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Provider Directory. The directory is an online database of health care professionals who treat patients with intellectual disabilities. The provider directory was launched at the American Academy of Family Physicians Scientific Assembly in San Francisco in September 2005.
Please e-mail your news and information about your programs to the editor, Nancy Campbell, at documentor@comcast.net.
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