Promoting Equity at the Population Level: Putting the Foundational Principles Into Practice Through Disability Advocacy.

Rehabilitation psychology is based on foundational principles that can guide us toward health equity among disabled and nondisabled communities. We summarize the literature on disparities in the disability community and underscore the urgency to address underlying inequities to eliminate disparities. We include examples of population-level interventions that promote equity in the disability community. We conclude with a call for a broader mission for rehabilitation psychologists based on the field's foundational principles, and outline emerging opportunities to widen our impact and advance equity. Our foundational principles, built on systems theory, call on rehabilitation psychologist to work at macrosystemic levels. As rehabilitation psychologists, we need to widen our focus from the micro (individual) to the macro (population) level. We need to bring the respect, dignity, and collaborative spirit that inspire our work with individuals to the broader community by advocating for structures and policies that promote equity for disabled persons. Impact and Implications: This article underscores the existing health disparities, and influence of inequities, among people with disabilities and chronic health conditions; informs readers about the inherent social justice nature of rehabilitation psychology's foundational principles, which can guide the field in promoting equity among individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions; and recommends that we, as rehabilitation psychologists, broaden our focus from the micro (individual) to the macro (population) level by joining our approaches with the field of public health to promote equity among a wider group of disabled persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]