PAOH, the AADMD and Jamaican Ministry of Health recently convened for the first-ever interdisciplinary health meeting for people with disabilities in the Caribbean.

By Steven Perlman, DDS, MScD, DHL (hon), President, People Advocating for Optimal Health (PAOH)

Writing a monthly President’s message is not an easy task for me. I am not a gifted writer like HELEN Journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Rick Rader. What’s important for me, however, is writing about something relevant, informative, and of value for our readers who are comprised of many different professions with the common denominator being improving quality of life issues for people with intellectual, developmental, behavioral, and physical disabilities.

As the founder of the Healthy Athletes Program of Special Olympics International, co-founder of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD), and the current President of People Advocating for Optimal Health (PAOH), it seems my monthly messages tend to focus on injustices that are taking place, additional barriers to care that arise, or generalized lack of services that our population needs so desperately to thrive in their communities regardless of their age or living circumstances. My wife and family say that I have turned into a curmudgeon, a grumpy, old man with a gray cloud hanging over my work. I always try to be as positive as I can for HELEN Journal, and start off by writing about a great happening or an event that is inspiring and impactful, such as the one I attended late this year.

From October 9 to 12, PAOH, the AADMD, and Jamaican Ministry of Health, led by Dr. Irving McKenzie, the Chief Dental Officer of Jamaica, convened to support the first ever interdisciplinary health meeting for people with disabilities in the Caribbean. The invitation to participate was extended to all the chief medical and dental officers of the region and their educational institutions involving healthcare. Penn Dental Medicine provided a two day pre-conference hands-on participation course for all dental professionals, followed by two days resulting in a resolution to improve healthcare for people with disabilities in that region.

The Caribbean Call to interdisciplinary action: Integrating SDGs and Universal Health Coverage to eliminate Health Disparities for Individuals with IDD. Caribbean Resolution 2025 on IDD.

It was as exciting and successful as anyone could have imagined, however two weeks later, our colleagues and the lives of the Jamaican people were devastated when Hurricane Melissa ravaged the island and will significantly affect the plan to move forward. Once again, another barrier confronted us as most of the clinics that provided care were completely destroyed, and rebuilding the infrastructure will be a slow and extremely costly process.

Striving to be positive, much of my time has recently been spent following the repercussions of recent government guidelines related to the use of the words diversity, equity, and inclusion in jargon and policy, especially discussions related to people with disabilities.

For over 50 years, Dr. Rick Rader and I have been immersed in listening to colleagues, parents, families, advocates, self-advocates, and the world around people with disabilities who put their hearts, souls, and every ounce of energy into defending and promoting their inclusion into society. Their lives have been consumed to promoting equality, especially health equity and inclusion for this most medically underserved, marginalized, and invisible population.

For 22 years we have been fighting for the medically underserved population designation for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and despite all the evidence and meeting all criteria, they are still being denied due to their geographic location. How inconceivable is this?

For the past 32 years, my involvement in Special Olympics has been a major part of both my professional career and personal life. With over five million athletes in 172 countries, their families, and the people whose lives they have touched, Special Olympics has become a formidable force. Since it was founded in 1968, inclusion has been central to its mission and programs, fighting for the inclusion of people with disabilities through the power of sports. They believe that people with IDD have the fundamental right to be included in all spheres of life. For these reasons, in 2018, they launched the “Revolution is Inclusion Campaign.” Their “Choose to Include Program” has made a major impact around the world.

HELEN Journal will soon publish an article by our AADMD Board colleagues and lifelong champions for inclusive healthcare, Doreen Bestolarides, RN and Seth Keller, MD. They are my heroes who have each created innovative programs in their respective fields. We hope their thoughts will prompt discussions, and we look forward to hearing from our readers about participating in upcoming dialogue regarding future articles in HELEN Journal.

Wishing everyone a Joyous Holiday season, and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

PAOH President’s Message: Staying Positive as the Year Ends

One Candle for the Cake: International Day of Persons with Disabilities

TeamSmile: Transforming Oral Health Access Through Joy, Community, and Inclusion