By Allen Wong, DDS, EdD

Access to dental care for those with special healthcare needs has many challenges. One of those challenges is dental graduate’s comfort level in assessing and treating patients with special healthcare needs. Recently, through the advocacy efforts from AADMD and National Council on Disability (NCD), the American Dental Association (ADA) Code of Ethics was updated to include those with disabilities cannot be discriminated.

Known as the “Father of Independent Living,” Ed Roberts was a trailblazing advocate for people with disabilities who transformed countless lives in California and across the country. Paralyzed after contracting polio as a child, Roberts was considered “unemployable” by the California Department of Rehabilitation, a prejudiced decision he successfully fought to overturn.

My brother Michael, born on March 21, 1963 was the eighth and last child of my parents. When they were told Michael was “Mongoloid” they had no idea what the doctors meant. They were told to leave him at the hospital and tell the family he died. How times have changed.

Navigating the intricate landscape of oral health care for individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) reveals a narrative that is rich with the formidable challenges faced by this community—enduring protracted wait times, meeting discrimination, confronting restricted access, and contending with an unsettling reliance on sedation. The National Council on Disability (NCD) has starkly declared that achieving optimal health for the disabled population remains an elusive pursuit within a health system that has persistently failed to foster inclusivity over decades.1-2 Understandably, individuals living with disabilities may perceive the U.S. healthcare system as a potential source of harm.

Hi, my name is Renee Dease. I have worked at the headquarters of Special Olympics since 1978. I was the very first receptionist that the Special Olympics office ever had. I have filled many roles during my time at Special Olympics and have had the opportunity to see Special Olympics change and grow into the organization it is today. As a young adult, I had depression and attended the District of Columbia Occupational Training Center and trained for two years to be an administrative assistant. I was an assistant coach for athletics and a spokesperson for Special Olympics DC. I helped athletes write speeches for events and MC for the annual Athlete of the Year ceremonies. I was a board member of Special Olympics DC before working at Special Olympics International Headquarters.

You never know when a seemingly ordinary day can change the trajectory of your life. For Layla Luna, something as simple as eating dinner at a restaurant with her family set her on a path to change the way the world treats people with Autism—people like her son, Rio.