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Access, Communication, and Belonging in Health Care & Public

Access, Communication, and Belonging in Health Care & Public
This session explores what it means to build truly accessible, person-centered and affirming health care and public health systems. Centering the experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).





Our work is supported in part by the Special Olympics Systems Change in Inclusive Health Subgrant, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The contents of this project are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services. 

This webinar introduces key concepts including IDD, neurodivergence and neurodiversity, alongside self-advocate perspectives that reflect diverse lived experiences across race, ethnicity, gender identity and immigration status. Participants will engage with person-centered principles such as self-determination and respect and explore the IDDEAL-9 domains as a framework for understanding community-defined health and quality of life.

 

Grounded in public health practice, the session highlights critical health disparities impacting people with IDD, including mental health, chronic disease, reproductive health, aging and social isolation, while addressing structural barriers such as digital inequities, technological oppression and gaps in emergency preparedness. Through interactive discussion, real-world scenarios and practical tools, participants will build skills in inclusive communication, accessible documentation and trust-building to embed access into everyday practice.

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

 

  • Define intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), neurodivergence and neurodiversity, and explain how these intersect with race, ethnicity, gender identity and immigration status.

  • Recognize key health disparities impacting people with IDD, including mental health, chronic disease, reproductive health, aging and social isolation etc.

  • Apply person-centered principles such as self-determination, respect and community-informed frameworks (e.g., IDDEAL-9) to improve health outcomes.

  • Implement inclusive communication and access strategies, including plain language, accessible documentation, ASL interpretation and culturally responsive approaches.

 

Who Should Attend

This session is designed for professionals across health and social systems, including:

 

  • Public health practitioners (local, state, federal)

  • Health care providers and clinical teams

  • Community health workers and patient navigators

  • Nonprofit and community-based organization staff

  • Health educators, program managers, and advocates

  • Policy and systems change professionals

  • Emergency preparedness and response staff

  • Self-advocates and community leaders are encouraged to attend

 

 

Practice Gap:

 

Many professionals lack training in disability-inclusive, person-centered approaches — especially for individuals with IDD and those navigating intersecting systems of marginalization. Key gaps include:

 

  • Limited understanding of IDD, neurodivergence and neurodiversity

  • Insufficient attention to how ableism intersects with racism, xenophobia and other inequities

  • Lack of skills in accessible communication (plain language, ASL access, inclusive formats)

  • Minimal familiarity with community-defined frameworks for health and quality of life

  • Inadequate preparation to address digital access barriers, trauma and emergency preparedness

 

This session addresses these gaps by combining foundational knowledge with practical tools, centering lived experiences, and offering strategies participants can immediately apply.

 

Why This Matters:

People with IDD and other disabled communities continue to face significant barriers to care and exclusion from health systems, resulting in poorer health outcomes. Advancing health equity requires moving beyond compliance toward proactive access, inclusive communication and a true sense of belonging.

 

This webinar:

  • Centers communities often excluded from health and public health spaces

  • Provides actionable strategies to embed accessibility into daily practice

  • Strengthens trust-building and culturally responsive care

  • Addresses urgent issues such as digital inequities, technological oppression and emergency preparedness

  • Supports a shift from reactive accommodations to sustainable, systems-level change

 
 
When
5/19/2026 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM

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