Contact: Katie Cacal

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) commemorates the 50^th anniversary of the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and celebrates Disability Pride Month this July.

Section 504 was enacted 17 years before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all places that are open to the public. Section 504 prohibits discrimination based on disability in all federally funded programs.

Today, we most closely associate Section 504 with accommodations in schools, but it can cover any program receiving federal funding, whether in hospitals or veterans’ programs. Section 504 was the result of years of advocacy and protest from the disability community, including a 26-day sit-in at the (then) U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare building in San Francisco in 1977. Learn more about the history of Section 504 at www.section504at50.org.

Disability Pride also recognizes disability as fundamental to a person’s identity, and something of which a person can be proud—as opposed to a description of a state of illness or injury. Disability Pride reaffirms the right of people with disabilities to be active, healthy, contributing members of their communities. Learn more about Disability Pride Month at the National Council on Independent Living.

Disability Pride Month serves as a reminder of the need to address disparities and inequities in ways that include people with disabilities. One in four adults (26%) in the U.S. have some type of disability. People with disabilities are a large and diverse group and experience a higher rate of chronic disease compared with other Americans. Yet, public health and health care have historically excluded people with disabilities as a distinct demographic.

Chronic disease prevention programs and initiatives can take practical steps to include people with disabilities. It’s important to remember that inclusion happens through partnership. Partnering with the disability community can mean working with a disability service organization, (e.g., one that serves people with a specific condition or more than one) or with a government agency that provides services to those with disabilities (e.g. vocational rehabilitation or a state agency for blind individuals). Chronic disease professionals can also tap those in their community with disability expertise, such as allied health professionals, adapted physical education teachers, or those who run recreation programs for disabled community members.

• Become educated on fundamentals of disability inclusion. Use resources like the 9 Guidelines for Disability Inclusion from the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) or the Competencies for Disability in Public Health from the National Center on Disability in Public Health.
• Identify and use inclusive resources. Assessment tools such as NCHPAD’s Community Health Inclusion Index (CHII) and the ADA Checklist for Existing Facilities are two examples of tools that can help you determine the level of accessibility and inclusion in your programs.
• Understand the power and importance of effective, inclusive communication in chronic disease prevention work. Health messaging should incorporate accessibility regardless of the modality. Disability organizations nationwide have guides and guidelines to assist you. Don’t forget the importance and usability of plain language. (Read this guide to communicating with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and extreme low literacy from the CDC.)

It’s also important to consider the intersectionality of disability, race, and poverty. Black, Indigenous, and other people of color who have disabilities face additional barriers to education and employment that further limit their earning potential.¹  People with a disability earned a median of $28,438 in 2021, compared with $40,948 among those without a disability, according to the Census Bureau. American Indians and Alaska Natives (18%) are more likely than Americans of other racial and ethnic backgrounds to report having a disability, according to the 2021 ACS estimates.²

People in the LGBTQ+ community also experience disability at a significantly higher rate. A review of public health data by the HRC Foundation found that nearly one in three LGBTQ+ adults have a disability compared to one in four non-LGBTQ+ adults.  Most LGBTQ+ adults with a disability report some level of intellectual disability. LGBTQ+ adults across the disability spectrum avoid necessary health care more often because of stigma and discrimination, resulting in increased health risk. LGBTQ+ adults with disabilities also experience higher rates of unemployment and poverty and disparities in other social determinants, resulting in poor health outcomes.³

Learn more about the evolution of Disability Rights to Disability Justice from the World Institute on Disability.

Throughout Disability Pride Month, NACDD has shared efforts on LinkedIn and Facebook to support the inclusion of people with disabilities and offering tips and insights on how you can become a stronger ally. Learn more at CDC’s Become a Disability Ally page.

1. 1. Goodman, N., Morris, M., Boston, K., Walton, D. National Disability Institute. (2015). Financial Inequality: Disability, Race and Poverty in America. nationaldisabilityinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/disability-race-poverty-in-america.pdf.
   2. Pew Research Center. 8 facts about Americans with disabilities. (2023). pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/24/8-facts-about-americans-with-disabilities.
   3. HRC Foundation. (2022) Understanding Disability in the LGBTQ+ Community. Online. hrc.org/resources/understanding-disabled-lgbtq-people.