“What Local Health Departments Should Know about the Population of People with Disabilities” is a new NACCHO fact sheet that helps to clarify who people with disabilities are from a public health perspective, as well as provide health-related information to local health departments.
A recent national assessment of local health departments revealed that public health professionals often misperceive what constitutes the population of people with disabilities. For instance, some officials reported that communities of color or non-English speaking populations classify as members of the disability population, which is not the case. The new fact sheet defines the different types of disabilities individuals can experience, details the types of health inequities this population can experience, and provides tips and resources for including people with disabilities in public health programming and planning.
NACCHO has been working with local health departments across the United States for several years to encourage the inclusion of people with disabilities in programs, products, outreach, and services. Including people with disabilities in all public health activities has the potential to help reduce and prevent the secondary conditions that people with disabilities are at a disproportionate risk of experiencing. NACCHO’s health and disability program has a number of resources available to help local health departments reach out to and include people with disabilities.