Lightning Talk Description: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are 2.5 times more likely to experience serious health issues when compared to people without disabilities (Voss et al., 2019). They are also at greater risk for conditions that disproportionately impact the quality of their lives, such as: coronary heart disease, diabetes, and early-onset dementia (Williamson et al., 2016). These disproportionate health disparities, in the context of an overextended healthcare system, demands attention if people with IDD are to experience not just extended but higher quality lives.
Healthy People 2030 recommended the expansion of disability training opportunities for health practitioners to increase awareness of the social determinants of health and improve health equity for people with IDD. Yet, doctors (Havercamp et al., 2016), nurses (ANA, 2019), pharmacists (Di Blasi et al., 2006), and social workers (Laws et al., 2010) have consistently reported feeling unprepared and uncomfortable providing care to people with IDD and their families. However, research has also found that prior contact with someone who has an IDD, especially when coupled with core training in an interdisciplinary environment, predicts more positive attitudes and negates stigma among healthcare practitioners toward people with IDD (Hemm et al., 2015).
This Lightning Talk will describe a learning retreat that combined the expertise of faculty and community partners to better prepare future health practitioners to provide patient-centered, equitable care to people with IDD. Presenters will describe and share replicable materials from the learning retreat, including:
(1) Pre-Assignment. Students watched a brief video from the Special Olympics’ Inclusive Health initiative. Students read an Issue Brief from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
(2) Introduction. Faculty and a local community provider convened the retreat by providing an overview of IDD and common health disparities. Students engaged in interprofessional group work exploring person-first and identity-first language.
(3) Panel Discussions. A panel of people with IDD (“self-advocates”) described their experiences with healthcare providers, including barriers and facilitators to timely, quality care.
(4) Clinical Skills. Students were educated on how to obtain consent and engage in supported decision making when working with people who have IDD. Training materials were adapted, with permission, from the Sonora Center for Excellence in Disabilities.
(5) Case Study. The retreat closed with a pre-recorded case scenario involving a person with IDD, a family member, and their provider. Students were broken into groups to process each video clip, including discussing how they would apply their learning in response to each scenario.
