Require Disability Training
Miriam Edelman, MPA, MSSW
Disability competency should not be optional in healthcare. This article makes the case for requiring continuing education on disabilities, showing how gaps in training can lead to bias, poor care, and harmful outcomes for patients with disabilities.
Throw Another Letter on the Scrap Heap
Helen Editorial: Dr. Rick Rader
Using Ben-Hur, the history of Hansen’s disease, and current events, this article explores how illness can become a vehicle for stigma and social exile. It argues that the enduring lesson of leprosy is not fear, but the need for empathy, tolerance, and inclusion.
Bridge from Saigon
Elena Salgado
Explore how Hoangmai H. Pham’s Bridge from Saigon connects immigration, identity, motherhood, and disability advocacy. Her memoir reveals how personal hardship and the search for better care for her autistic son helped inspire a mission to improve healthcare for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Aging with IDD Conference
Explore how the Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities is bringing professionals together to improve support for older adults with developmental disabilities. The 35th Annual Aging with Developmental Disabilities Conference will offer practical learning, networking, and cross-sector collaboration focused on helping people age with dignity, independence, and the support they need.
Building Bridges Across Sectors
The Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders (AOHAB) recently hosted its first alumni event of the year, bringing together global leaders, faculty experts, students, and partners to highlight innovation, collaboration, and leadership in advancing oral health worldwide.
Unsung Hero
FOX 2, St. Louis, MO
In 1972, Dr. Michael Wilkins, a physician at the Willowbrook State School in New York, exposed atrocious living conditions for over 5,000 disabled residents. After being fired for organizing parents against inhumane treatment, Wilkins enabled reporter Geraldo Rivera to document the facility, sparking lawsuits that led to federal civil rights protection for the disabled and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
From Our Friends
Alone we can do so little; Together we can do so much.
Check here for upcoming events and webinars ,and articles from our partner organizations.
From the Stacks
A Round-up of Journals Published Around the World
Cognitive Decline Linked to Hearing Loss, New Autism Diagnosis, Air Pollution Tied to Physical Disability, and more.