Ebooks
More Than Ramps: Improving Health Care Quality and Access for People with Disabilities by
Nearly twenty percent of Americans live today with some sort of disability, and this number will grow in coming decades as the population ages. Despite this, the U.S. health care system is not set up to provide care comfortably, safely, and efficiently to persons with disabilities.Individuals with disabilities can therefore face significant barriers to obtaining high quality health care. Some barriers result from obvious impediments, such as doors without automatic openers and examining tables that are too high. Other barriers arise from faulty communication betweenpatients and health care professionals, including misconceptions among clinicians about the daily lives, preferences, values, and abilities of persons with disabilities. Yet additional barriers relate to health insurance limits on items and services essential to maximizing health and independence.This book examines the health care experiences of persons who are blind, deaf, hard of hearing, or who have difficulties using their legs, arms, or hands. The book then outlines strategies for overcoming or circumventing barriers to care, starting by just asking persons with disabilities aboutworkable solutions. Creating safe and accessible health care for persons with disabilities will likely benefit everyone at some point. This book has three parts. The first part looks at the historical roots of healthcare access for persons with disabilities in the United States. The second partdiscusses the current situation and the special challenges for those with disabilities. The third part looks forward to discuss the ways in which healthcare quality and access can improve.
ISBN: 9780195172768Publication Date: 2005
Highlighted Articles
- Adapting Health Education Material for Deaf AudiencesPollard RQ, Dean RK, O'Hearn A, Haynes SL. Adapting health education material for Deaf audiences. Rehabil Psychol. 2009 May; 54(2):232-238. DOI: 10.1037/a0015772.
- Disabled People in the Time of COVID-19: Identifying Needs, Promoting InclusivityRotarou ES, Sakellariou D, Kakoullis EJ, Warren N. Disabled people in the time of COVID-19: Identifying needs, promoting inclusivity. J Glob Health. 2021 Jan; 11:03007. DOI: 10.7189/jogh.11.03007.
Web Resources
- ADA Accessibility GuidelinesGuidelines from the U.S. Access Board on meeting the Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility requirements. Includes general guidance for all public spaces as well as a section for medical facilities.
- Developmental Disabilities and Oral HealthBrief overview of dental health concerns and tips for providing dental care for people with developmental disabilities.
- Disability and Health Inclusion StrategiesInformation from the CDC on creating an inclusive environment for people with disabilities, including information on universal design principles, assistive technologies, and communicating about disability.
- Questions and Answers for Health Care ProvidersInformation from the National Association on the Deaf on legal obligations and practical issues providing healthcare services to patients who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
- Tips for Treating Patients with Physical and Sensory DisabilitiesGeneral advice from Mount Sinai for providing care to patients with disabilities, along with specific advice for providing services to patients who are blind or low vision, hard of hearing or Deaf, or wheelchair users.
- Web Content Accessibility GuidelinesMost recent accessibility guidelines for web content from W3C.