Public Health is for Everyone An inclusive planning toolkit for public health professionals

This video features Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver and our athletes discussing why it's so important to include people with intellectual disabilities in all areas of life-especially healthcare access. The first step is learning how to communicate with respect, compassion, and care.

Whether you're in a professional environment or just having a personal conversation, consider these 10 basic rules for communicating with a person with an intellectual disability.

The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) recognizes the importance of information sharing and networking among the people they support and their families. You may not know where to turn to get direction and guidance.

This website has a number of groups that exist across New York State. Within these organizations are self-advocates, parents, and family members just like you, who have experienced similar circumstances and are willing to share their experiences.

Many of these organizations and groups are organized by self-advocates and parents of children with disabilities. They are often staffed by professionals who can provide assistance or guide you to other advocacy groups that will be able to answer your questions.

As part of its 2020 CARES Act Telehealth Award from The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Family Voices National created a Telemedicine Curriculum titled the Nuts and Bolts of Telemedicine: Essentials for a Family-Centered Experience.

The curriculum includes four webinars:

• Are you Connected?
• Do you Have a Device?
• Can You "See" Your Provider?
• Your Family's First Telemedicine Appointment.

There is a recording of each webinar that serves as a train-the-trainer so presenters can familiarize themselves with the information. There is an accompanying set of PowerPoint slides and talking points, in English and Spanish, that presenters can use "as is" or adapt to best need the needs of the families they serve.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus that spreads easily and can make people very sick. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine protects against COVID-19, and is an important tool to help stop the pandemic. People with developmental disabilities, their families, and supporters play an important role in preventing COVID-19 by getting a vaccine. View this website for fact sheets with information about the COVID-19 Vaccine.

This project started in January of 2020 when the world, and most especially the United States, was different. Our priority to analyze the changing reality of disability was born of a growing sense of concern that much of what people knew of disability in 1990 had not evolved or not evolved enough. Unless we know who's being left out we cannot create a world that minimizes the rising volume of functional limitation and support everyone to live self-directed lives.

The goal of this project is to spotlight issues for people too seldom considered as central to understanding disability in America. To summon awareness that can help to inform policy as we act to rebuild from the 2020 COVID 19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests. The hope is to stimulate research with neglected populations to end doing harm and learn what works if we are to measure progress.

People with intellectual, cognitive or developmental disabilities get involved as both victims and suspects/offenders with law enforcement and with the criminal justice system. Use this factsheet to discuss policing with individuals with disabilities.

Traditional face masks interfere with lip reading and transmission of sign language "facial grammar," disrupting communication for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.  In fact, being unable to see facial expressions is a barrier to communication for many people: teachers, health professionals, performers, police, and more. Clear masks -- those with a transparent window in front -- are being sought by many. Nationwide, volunteer sewists have produced and donated thousands of cloth masks, easing the PPE crisis. Together, let's shift mask culture to clear.

• For a list of places to purchase a clear mask, click the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UINsEe9fIqKdKaQH5m37v_S3tCokMLgQgm4z9jJl30U/edit
• Dorothy Mask – A clear mask with a large window, a nose wire, elasticized chin cup and wearing options: Instruction guide and pattern: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uSEpWVcWZbfyHYrfPdQHpHvfinr2b6u7
• Adam clear Mask: A no sew option with soft foam at the nose and chine to support a large clear panel. Instruction guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mj6awJig_4ivgDcUkkPGoogBQrUqLnEq/view
• Additionally, there are dozens of other designs available, most with detailed instructions in print or video format at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JYNE3FkCjRCaKT90N8Uy4mhic2qD3SA2egpjyWy7Nd8/edit

The United States Census Bureau reports that approximately 56.7 million Americans have a disability. This booklet is for anyone—with or without a disability—who wants to interact more effectively with people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was conceived with the goal of integrating people with disabilities into all aspects of life, particularly the workplace and the marketplace. Sensitivity toward people with disabilities is not only in the spirit of the ADA, it makes good business sense.

Use this resource to help you expand your practice, better serve your customers or develop your audience. When supervisors and co-workers use disability etiquette, employees with disabilities feel more comfortable and work more productively. Practicing disability etiquette is an easy way to make people with disabilities feel welcome.

Disability can impact communication. Identifying a patient’s disability and its potential impact on effective communication is the first step in reducing the risk of miscommunication. The type of disability – whether intellectual, sensory, mobility or mental health – will help determine the kind of accommodation needed. Usually minor accommodations can be made to ensure effective communication. There are many options for auxiliary aids and services to ensure effective communication. Health care providers and their staff can develop skills and acquire tools that will allow them to successfully provide accommodations to patients with disabilities. This guide will provide information to help you communicate effectively with your patients with disabilities.

We are writing this booklet in June of 2020. Right now, there are protests all over the country about racism and police violence. We wrote this booklet in plain language so as many people as possible can understand the protests. There is a lot to know about racism and police violence. Racism is when people are treated unfairly because of their race. Anti-Black racism is when Black people are treated unfairly because they are Black. We can’t talk about everything in this short booklet. We will tell you where to learn more. And, we will work on more resources. This booklet is just to get you started.