E-Bulletin: August 27, 2024

Disability Voting Rights Week; September 9-13

Disability Voting Rights Week (DVRW) is a nonpartisan movement hosted by the American Association of People with Disabilities and REV UP (Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power!). This campaign aims to improve access to elections and foster the civic engagement of people with disabilities. Check out their resources for people with disabilities, advocates, election officials, and candidates.

Research Brief: Highlights of Demographics and Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities

This brief compares research findings based on various factors within the disability community, such as education, gender, marital status, race, and age, and provides a clearer understanding of how these demographic factors may influence employment outcomes.

Back to School and on the Path to the Future

Students across the country, including those with disabilities, are heading back to school. For many of them, this will be the year they prepare for post-secondary life. The National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) collected information and resources that may help students and families plan for transitioning to college or other post-secondary education, internship and apprenticeships, or the workforce.

NIH Teaching Resources

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers a great collection of videos/virtual reality, comics, lessons, activities, and other K-12 materials on science and health. Materials address a wide range of topics, from the importance of sleep and how to protect our hearing in a noisy world, to managing chronic health conditions and learning about alcohol and drugs. You’ll even find templates and instructions to build and fold paper models of protein domains, viruses, and DNA.

A recent addition to the collection from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is a coloring and activity book for children ages 8-12, Get Excited About Mental Health Research, also available in Spanish. The book introduces children to mental health research, including clinical trials, the scientific method, and how to conduct their own experiments. The activity book is available to download as a PDF or a hardcopy may be ordered for free.

The Implicit and Explicit Exclusion of People with Disabilities in Clinical Trials

This report from the National Council on Disability (NCD) highlights exclusionary practices that prevent people with disabilities from participating in clinical trials, discusses how healthcare practitioners’ internal biases and federal policies contribute to the participation rate, and how the disparity affects people with disabilities and the efficacy of clinical trials.

This report offers recommendations for federal agencies, Congress, and healthcare practitioners in the hopes of improving the participation rate of people with disabilities in clinical trials.

New Impact Magazine Issue Highlights Addiction and IDD

The latest issue of Impact magazine calls attention to the disparities experienced by people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who also have substance use disorders or addictions. Articles share personal stories, promising solutions, and best practices.

Eviction Prevention: A Toolkit for Tenants and Service Providers

This toolkit is for people with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders living in community-based low-income housing, and the service providers and organizations that support them. The toolkit provides essential information to support stable tenancies and avoid the trauma of housing eviction.

Get Ready for the Paralympics!

“Team USA Flagbearers for Paralympics Selected. Meet the Gold Medal Athletes Who Were Chosen.”

Steve Serio, who helped the U.S.’s wheelchair basketball team to gold medals in the last two Paralympic Games, and Nicky Nieves, who helped Team USA win its first gold in sitting volleyball in 2016, were selected to carry the United States flag at the Paralympics opening ceremony.

“Paralympic Sprinter Nick Mayhugh Refused to Let His Dreams Die”

Nick Mayhugh was always passionate about sports, and as a child he dreamed of making the U.S. men’s national soccer team. When he was 14 years old, he experienced a grand mal seizure, learned about his disability, and soon switched gears, setting his sights on  making the U.S. Paralympic team.

“After Fully Embracing Life in a Wheelchair, She’s Riding It Straight to the Paralympic Games”

Sarah Adam, always an athlete, turned to wheelchair rugby as a way to re-center her life following a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. A few short years later, she’s made history as the first woman named to the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team.

“A Shark Attack Nearly Ended a Star Swimmer’s Career — but It Hasn’t Kept Her from the Water”

Ali Truwit, described by her coach as ““the hardest worker I’ve ever met,” will compete in the Paralympic Games just 15 months after a shark attack resulted in the amputation of one of her legs.

Webinar Series: Building Your Customer Base by Improving Access for People with Disabilities

Part 1: A Welcoming Storefront: Making Your Business More Accessible for Customers with Disabilities

September 25, 2024
12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
Learn about legal requirements, design principles, and practical steps to create spaces that encourage people of all ages and abilities to come in, explore, and purchase good and services. We’ll talk about common access issues, such as accessible parking and entrances, clear routes to enter and move around facilities, sales and service counters, and other public amenities. You’ll gain valuable insights to help you ensure that all customers feel welcomed and included.

Part 2: The Virtual Storefront: Making Your Website More Accessible for Customers with Disabilities

October 2, 2024
12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
Website accessibility is no longer an option but a legal and ethical imperative. This session will delve into the importance of making websites inclusive for people with disabilities. You’ll gain an understanding of accessibility standards, best practices, and practical tools to enhance website usability for customers with disabilities.

Study: Looking for Disabled People of Color Who Have Lived in Nursing Homes or Other Institutions

The Community Living Equity Center (CLEC) wants to learn more about barriers faced by people of color with disabilities who have transitioned, or want to transition, from nursing homes to community living. CLEC is seeking study participants to interview about their experiences. Participants must be people of color with disabilities who have lived in a nursing home and transitioned out, or are living in a nursing home and are interested in transitioning out. Participation involves a 20-minute intake interview and a 1 – 2-hour individual interview via phone or video. For more information or to volunteer, email Kim The or call 781-736-8165.

Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Brain Injury and Rehabilitation

The Mount Sinai Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Program is accepting applications for a two-year quantitative methods post-doctoral fellowship in brain injury and rehabilitation research. Fellows engage in collaborative, mentored research and receive training in community engagement, implementation science and policy change, and knowledge translation. Candidates will have completed a doctoral or equivalent degree in a clinical or quantitative field, demonstrated potential for independent research, and have foundational skills in data analysis.