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The present study examined the economic well‐being of disabled and nondisabled men and women in the United Kingdom. Using the 2009–2014 Life Opportunities Survey (N = 6,159 adults), the study is the first longitudinal study to empirically compare the economic well‐being of disabled women in contrast to disabled men and nondisabled men and women. Hierarchical linear modelling and hierarchical linear logistic modelling were used to estimate the longitudinal changes. Findings indicate that, overall, disabled women's economic well‐being improved significantly between 2009 and 2014 even after controlling for other demographic characteristics. However, the improvements were not substantial enough to significantly narrow the economic disparities between disabled women and disabled men and nondisabled men and women. Disabled women remained worse off than disabled men and nondisabled men and women in 2014 as they did in 2009. The findings indicate that intersectional discrimination against disabled women exist in the United Kingdom. Findings from this study provide empirical evidence to support policies that enhance the economic security of disabled women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) have high lifetime risk of abuse and assault, including sexual violence. As adults with ID participate in research, researchers must be prepared for disclosures of past or current abuse. In collaboration with our state's protective agency, we developed a protocol for responding effectively to disclosures of sexual violence from adult research participants with ID. We completed a literature review clarifying best practices for responding to disclosures of abuse by adults with ID. The literature focused on various professionals but we were unable to find evidence clarifying researchers' roles in responding to sexual violence. Working with our state protective services agency, we adapted these practices to develop protocols and an algorithm for responding to disclosure, as well as materials for participants. Our protocol for abuse reporting considers all members of the research team to be mandated reporters, emphasizes informed consent, and details specific steps for responding to disclosures of abuse in the context of research. It represents a collaboration between academic researchers and community partners. Research participation by people with ID may represent an opportunity for disclosure of past or current abuse, and therefore, it is imperative that researchers are equipped to respond effectively. Policy‐level responses to prevent abuse and enable justice are also needed; however, ensuring that researchers respond systematically and effectively to disclosures is crucial to the ethical conduct of research with a vulnerable population. We anticipate that the frequency with which researchers will need to use this protocol will depend on the nature of their research. In practice, we recommend including this protocol as part of the overall study protocol and submitting it for Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Future research to test our protocol in the field is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background While the United States has seen increased attention by policymakers on the rights of parents with disabilities, there is limited understanding of the health and economic well-being of parents with intellectual impairments. This study compares the health and economic well-being of mothers with and without intellectual impairments. Methods This descriptive, exploratory study is a secondary analysis of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. This study includes a subsample of mothers of three-year-old children ( n = 1561), including mothers with intellectual impairments ( n = 263) and without intellectual impairments ( n = 1298). Results US Mothers with intellectual impairments are more likely to report serious health conditions, have less instrumental support, live in poverty, receive public benefits and experience certain material hardships. Conclusion Findings from this study indicate the need for policies and programmes to support parents with intellectual impairments by addressing their health and economic needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a critical need for objective data about receipt of preventive healthcare screenings that are not subject to self-response bias. However, no available evidence indicates which methods are effective for obtaining retrospective medical record data for women with intellectual disabilities ( ID) receiving care in the community. This article describes a procedure for obtaining retrospective medical record data for 199 women with ID who took part in a community-based, multisite, randomized controlled trial of a health education intervention. Data were analyzed to determine rates of correct physician identification and physician response rates during the 2006-2009 study periods. To assess accuracy in identifying physicians and response rates over time, Mc Nemar's test of paired proportions for dependent samples was used. Physician identification varied over time with correct identification being highest in more recent years. The majority of practices responded to our requests for medical record data; however, response rates and item completion rates were highest for the most recent data, with rates declining significantly for data from earlier years. Obtaining retrospective medical record data from community-based medical practices is possible, but difficult. Therefore, researchers should budget resources to accommodate a lengthy process with extensive follow-up. Researchers interested in older medical data face additional challenges in obtaining complete records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forces shaping intellectual disability policy-making are diverse; while many of the policy issues reviewed in this issue are specific to intellectual disabilities, there are others that transcend disability-specific concerns. Our review is organized around six emerging demographic and socio-cultural trends that may directly and profoundly impact the intellectual disability field: aging, changing labor markets, immigration, families, federalism, and culture. Each of these trends is discussed in terms of their relevance and potential impact on disability policy. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MRDD Research Reviews 2007;13:188–194. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]