Including People with Disabilities in Self-Management Programs
Submission Date: December 2008
State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: New York
States/Territories Involved: New York
Domain Addressed:Community-Clinical Linkages, Epidemiology and Surveillance
Public Health Issue:- Arthritis is the leading cause of disability – about 20% of New Yorkers say they have a disability.
- People with disabilities have higher rates of chronic disease than those without disabilities.
- Living with a disability may affect quality of life and increase healthcare utilization.
- Provided the right opportunities, people with disabilities can embrace a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity and full participation in community activities.
- Disability service and advocacy organizations often operate in isolation- without strong ties to other community-based service delivery networks, making access to these opportunities all the more limited.
- The New York State Department of Health’s Disability and Health and Healthy Heart Programs collaborated to promote linkages between disability service and advocacy organizations and other community-based and health care service organizations to increase awareness and support for the inclusion of people with disabilities in existing health promotion programming such as the Chronic Disease Self Management Program (CDSMP).
- Proven, evidence-based programs like the CDSMP help people with arthritis and other chronic diseases improve function – reducing pain and improving quality of life.
- The collaboration resulted in bulk purchase of participant materials including materials in alternate formats and assistive technology.
- Disability screener questions from a validated survey are added to the program’s intake survey. State and local partnerships with disability service and advocacy organizations are increasing the numbers of program participants, trainers, and host sites, while creating a culture of inclusivity.
- Host sites are now evaluated for accessibility and participant’s need for accommodations such as alternative formats and/or assistive technology are determined and provided.
- Capturing the disability status of participants highlights the involvement of people with disabilities in CDSMP workshops and will impact ongoing outreach and delivery strategies until program participation rates reflect the disability prevalence of the general population.
- Providing access to the evidence-based CDSMP for people with disabilities helps them manage their disability and/or chronic disease and can lessen secondary conditions or the progression of chronic disease.
Arthritis, Social Determinants of Health
State Contact Information:
New York
Danielle M. MacFee
New York State Department of Health
518-408-5142
dmr17@health.state.ny.us