Health Care Access for People with Disabilities

Findings: Access for People with IDD and Brain Injuries

The RTC/IL collaborated with the Disability Rights Center of Kansas to learn about the health care experiences of Kansans with IDD and Kansans with brain injuries. The following two reports provide recommendations on how to improve programs, policies and practices to improve access to health care for people with these specific disabilities.​

• Improving Access to Health Care for Kansans with Brain Injuries (PDF available upon request)
• Improving Access to Health Care for Kansans with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Resources for Health Care Providers from the RTC/IL

These are resources you can recommend to your healthcare providers. 

• How to Make Your Medical Practice More Accessible to People with Disabilities
• Getting Tax Incentives for Adjustable-Height Exam Tables, Accessible Scales and Facility Improvements 
• Ways to Improve Access for People Who Have Sensory (Vision and Hearing) Disabilities 
• Notes on Disability Etiquette 
• IRS Tax Form 8826 for Disabled Access Credit
• The OHCUP: A Tool to Improve Outpatient Success (PDF available upon request)

Online Training

• Healthcare Access for Persons with Disabilities (on Kansas TRAIN)
  
  One CME/CNE is offered for $10.
  
  This course provides tips for delivering culturally sensitive, high quality care to adults and children with physical and sensory disabilities, along with solutions to common problems in serving patients with disabilities. 
  
  - The course is free to providers nationwide. One CME/CNE is available for $10. 
  
  - To enroll, go to the Kansas TRAIN homepage if you’re in Kansas. All others, go to the national TRAIN homepage. (First-time users create a login name and password.)
  
  - Search for “Healthcare Access for Persons with Disabilities,” course number 1025624. 

Other Resources

• Table Manners: A Guide to the Pelvic Examination for Disabled Women and Health Care Providers. (PDF) This has valuable, detailed information for women with a range of disabilities. Though published in 1982, the information remains pertinent.
• Accessible Medical Exams (Video on Youtube)
• Doctor with Disability Knows Best (Video on Vimeo)
• Communication with Your Doctor
• Transportation
• Safety Net Clinics in Kansas (PDF available upon request)