Introducing the National Roadmap for Disability Inclusive Healthcare

Pictured: Doctors with patients
Photo Credit: Inclusive Healthcare Roadmap

By Lauren Erickson, IEC Director of Policy and Programs

Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC) is proud to announce the launch of the National Roadmap for Disability-Inclusive Healthcare!

A product of our Action to Build Clinical Confidence and Culture (ABC3) Coalition, the Roadmap offers clear goals and commonsense actions clinicians and groups involved with healthcare can take to make healthcare safer and better for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD).

What’s in the Roadmap?

The Roadmap is a plan for clinicians to learn how to give the best healthcare possible to people with IDD. Specifically, it highlights goals and actions for five groups that are particularly influential in how clinicians are taught.

These groups, including educational associations, regulatory and accrediting bodies, and professional bodies, are trusted leaders working across the nation and can bring about change now and in the future.

The Roadmap also illustrates the transformative journey a clinician may take from limited IDD understanding to clinician readiness, identifying key factors that foster motivation for equitable care.

Why is the Roadmap important? 

Did you know most clinicians-in-training get very little instruction about IDD? With that information, it’s unsurprising that approximately 60% of US physicians report feeling like they don’t have the training and skills to properly care for people with disabilities. 

Inadequate training, lack of proper equipment, and outdated assumptions contribute to healthcare disparities for people with IDD, who often face barriers to receiving even basic care.

The Roadmap tackles these challenges head-on because everyone deserves high-quality care. 

How was the Roadmap created?

The Roadmap was developed by the ABC3 Coalition, a diverse group that includes people with IDD, care partners, clinicians, and other healthcare leaders brought together by IEC.

ABC3's inclusive approach ensured active participation from people with IDD and their caregivers, alongside clinicians and healthcare leaders, guaranteeing that the Roadmap aligns with community priorities and objectives.

Support the National Roadmap for Disability-Inclusive Healthcare

The Roadmap represents an important path forward for improving the way healthcare is taught to better support all people. We hope you will support the Roadmap and also share it widely among your networks.