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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 61 million Americans have a disability, which translates to about 26 percent of the national population. The most common types of disability are physical (13.7 percent), or those that impact mobility, and intellectual (10.8 percent), or those related to cognitive processing. The Bureau of Justice Statistics has reported that 32 percent of people in state prisons and 40 percent of people in county jails have at least one disability, rates that demonstrate alarming disproportionality. Yet the history of the disability rights movement, the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act for people with disabilities who are involved with the criminal justice system, and the implications of disability justice and critical disability theory for the field of social work are not well understood. The purpose of this article is to review these under-recognized topics and offer recommendations for addressing this neglected area of social work education, research, policy, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Approximately 10% of the U.S. adult population has a speech, language, and/or voice disability, collectively referred to as communication disabilities. An increasing number of studies demonstrate that persons with communication disabilities have worse health and health care outcomes as compared to those without communication disabilities. Understanding the state of the science, including potential contributing factors is critical to begin to address the disparities. Method: Applying a historical lens and integrating multiple models of disability provide a comprehensive perspective of the health and health care outcomes of persons with communication disabilities. Results: Three phases for addressing health care disparities exist: detecting, understanding, and reducing. Results from a 2012 National Health Interview Survey provide compelling population-level results of the health and health care disparities experienced by persons with communication disabilities. To understand the disparities, factors within the health care system, such as availability of communication aids and services, as well as provider and staff biases, assumptions, and lack of knowledge need to be considered. To date, few interventions exist to address disparities in care for persons with communication disabilities. Consequently, researchers need to engage with stakeholders in innovative study designs and methods to facilitate the rapid development, implementation, and dissemination of interventions that address the disparities. Conclusion: To ensure equity for the large and growing population of persons with communication disabilities, researchers, policy makers, patients, and health care systems need to collaborate in identifying and addressing the factors contributing to health and health care disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a telephone survey of outpatient physicians in the U.S. to determine the extent to which they understand their legal obligations to patients under the American With Disabilities Act (ADA). Topics covered include their understanding of their responsibility in ensuring the provision of equitable care to patients with disability, their perceived risk of ADA lawsuits, and the associations among physician characteristics, their knowledge of ADA, and perceived lawsuit risk.

Objectives. To explore the effect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on disparities in access to health care based on disability status, as well as age, income, race, and ethnicity. Methods. In this study, I used logistic regression to analyze nationally representative data from 128 000 respondents to the US National Health Interview Survey from 2008 to 2010 and 2015 to 2017. Outcome variables were uninsurance over the previous 12 months, delayed or forgone health care for reasons of cost, and having a regular provider at a doctor's office or health clinic. Results. Over the period when the ACA was implemented, large existing disparities in access to health care were reduced for people with certain types of disabilities, young adults aged 19 to 25 years, and low-income families. Conclusions. The ACA improved overall access to health care and reduced some disparities, but substantial disparities persist. Disability status remains associated with much greater risk of delayed or forgone care, and mental health disability is associated with greater likelihood of uninsurance. Public Health Implications. The ACA partially achieved its goals and must not be weakened or rolled back. Further policy efforts are needed to address the remaining disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an update on the mental health parity in the U.S. codified by the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), as of June 2006. Topics covered include the findings of the 2019 Milliman's report on the status of mental health parity based on insurance, the violations of parity law revolving around MHPAEA guidelines and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on parity.

United States' courts have played a limited, yet key, role in shaping health equity in three areas of law: racial discrimination, disability discrimination, and constitutional rights. Executive and administrative action has been much more instrumental than judicial decisions in advancing racial equality in health care. Courts have been reluctant to intervene on racial justice because overt discrimination has largely disappeared, and the Supreme Court has interpreted civil rights laws in a fashion that restricts judicial authority to address more subtle or diffused forms of disparate impact. In contrast, courts have been more active in limiting disability discrimination by expanding the conditions that are considered disabling and by articulating and applying the operative concepts "reasonable accommodation" and "other qualified" in the context of both treatment and insurance coverage decisions. Finally, regarding constitutional rights, courts have had limited opportunity to intervene because, outside of specially protected arenas such as reproduction, constitutional law gives government wide discretion to define health and safety goals and methods. Thus, courts have had only a limited role in shaping health equity in the United States. It remains to be seen whether this will change under the Affordable Care Act or whatever health reform measure might replace it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients receiving care for the management of end stage renal disease require transport to nephrology practice settings and treatment centers for hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. This type of transportation, defined as non-emergency medical transportation, has long presented a challenge for patients, families, and healthcare providers. This article explores the current and projected statistics and trends for chronic kidney disease, transportation challenges faced by patients and nephrology healthcare providers, and examples of successful transportation services and programs. Implications for practice with a focus placed on the importance of an interprofessional approach are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to the Internet is increasingly critical for health information retrieval, access to certain government benefits and services, connectivity to friends and family members, and an array of commercial and social services that directly affect health. Yet older adults, particularly those with disabilities, are at risk of being left behind in this growing age- and disability-based digital divide. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was designed to guarantee older adults and persons with disabilities equal access to employment, retail, and other places of public accommodation. Yet older Internet users sometimes face challenges when they try to access the Internet because of disabilities associated with age. Current legal interpretations of the ADA, however, do not consider the Internet to be an entity covered by law. In this article, we examine the current state of Internet accessibility protection in the United States through the lens of the ADA, sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, state laws and industry guidelines. We then compare U.S. rules to those of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development) countries, notably in the European Union, Canada, Japan, Australia, and the Nordic countries. Our policy recommendations follow from our analyses of these laws and guidelines, and we conclude that the biggest challenge in bridging the age- and disability-based digital divide is the need to extend accessibility requirements to private, not just governmental, entities and organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with disabilities are a growing population in higher education (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009). Providing accommodations for students with disabilities can raise ethical and social justice questions and pose challenges for social work faculty, administrators, and field instructors. Social work educators must balance the legal mandates for nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodation against ethical obligations around protection of clients and preparation for practice. This article presents case examples in the context of legal analysis to help social work educators make difficult decisions about student academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We argue for the existence of a state constitutional legal right to language. Our purpose here is to develop a legal framework for protecting the civil rights of the deaf child, with the ultimate goal of calling for legislation that requires all levels of government to fund programs for deaf children and their families to learn a fully accessible language: a sign language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stigma against mental illness is a complex construct with affective, cognitive, and behavioral components. Beyond its symbolic value, federal law can only directly address one component of stigma: discrimination. This article reviews three landmark antidiscrimination laws that expanded protections over time for individuals with mental illness. Despite these legislative advances, protections are still not uniform for all subpopulations with mental illness. Furthermore, multiple components of stigma (e.g., prejudice) are beyond the reach of legislation, as demonstrated by the phenomenon of label avoidance; individuals may not seek protection from discrimination because of fear of the stigma that may ensue after disclosing their mental illness. To yield the greatest improvements, antidiscrimination laws must be coupled with anti-stigma programs that directly address other components of stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a guideline on the management of dental patients with special health care needs (SHCNs) from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). According to the guideline, which was revised in 2012, people with disabilities may have compromised immune systems or lack the capability to take responsibility for preventative care. Topics include health care access for patients with SHCNs, dental insurance, pediatric dentistry, and behavioral guidance techniques. The article emphasizes the importance of communication and consultation with parents and other care providers. The Americans with Disabilities Act is mentioned.

The funding of assistive technology (AT) in the United States falls within a complex web of traditional and non-traditional funding sources that often create challenging barriers for individuals with disabilities. This article outlines the founding policies that drive the federal and state funding of AT across insurance, education, rehabilitation sectors and beyond. A presentation of specific medical and non-medical funding options is discussed addressing eligibility, types of AT covered and general program characteristics. I conclude with recommendations for the pursuit of AT funding in light of these policies and options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article studies a comparison of healthcare access for older adults with disabilities to older adults without disabilities, and the effect of policies to healthcare access. Results revealed that older adults with disabilities exhibit disparities in healthcare access as compared to older adults with no disabilities. Also, it was found that implementations of legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Medicare had no significant impact on accessibility.

The article presents an editorial that discusses structural conditions that negatively affect the access to health care services for people with disabilities. Effects of structural barriers on patient safety, quality of care, and health care worker safety are discussed. Legal and policy contexts of ensuring physical accessibility of people with disabilities to health care facilities are examined, including the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The authors make recommendations for structural health care access, including those based on the environment of care, equipment recommendations, and staff training.