Better Community Accessibility for People with Disability in Umatilla Count

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Submission Date: June 2018

State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: Oregon

States/Territories Involved: Oregon

Funding Source: CDC

CDC Funding:

Yes

CDC Funding (Specified):

Other CDC Funding

Other Federal Funding:

CDC(non CSTLTS)

Domain Addressed:

Environmental Approaches

Public Health Issue:

  • About 15% of Pendleton, Oregon residents live with a disability that limits their mobility. Many of these residents depend on power wheelchairs or scooters as their main mode of transport.
  • Power wheelchair users may be reluctant to depend on their wheelchair for transportation outside of their home due to the fear that the chair’s battery will lose its charge and they will be stranded.
  • Even small improvements to the built environment can go a long way to helping power wheelchair users more reliably navigate around their community.

Program Action:

  • Through the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors program Reaching People with Disabilities through Healthy Communities, project partners in Umatilla, Oregon, worked to improve accessibility for people with mobility limitations by increasing the availability of wheelchair charging devices throughout the community.
  • A project community coach, who is also a power wheelchair user, developed a simple charging device that makes it possible to set up charging stations around the community.
  • Project partners, including Clearview Mediation and Disability Resource Center, Pendleton Parks and Recreation, and the Umatilla County Health Department, collaborated to install the power wheelchair charging stations at local parks and public buildings.

Impact/Accomplishments:

  • Twenty-seven new power wheelchair charging stations now are available in locations throughout Umatilla County. The partners plan to expand this service to include private business locations.
  • As another result of project efforts, more than half of the 10 communities also funded through this NACDD project, installed charging stations in their communities across the country.
  • Influenced by this project, new power wheelchair charging stations were installed at the Oregon capitol building and beyond Oregon state lines at the Ohio Statehouse.
  • Project partners feel the development of the power wheelchair charging stations yielded an improved sense of community belonging for people with mobility limitations.

Program Areas:

Health Equity and Cultural Competency, Healthy Communities (general), Social Determinants of Health

State Contact Information:

OR
Robert Rankin
Umatilla County Health
541-278-6344
Robert.rankin@umatillacounty.net

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