April is National Minority Health Month, organized by the Office of Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. The event highlights the important role individuals and organizations can play in helping to reduce health disparities and improve the health of racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native communities. Recent research shows that people with disabilities are more likely to face health disparities compared to those without disabilities, and that likelihood may be even higher for those from minority communities. They may also face disparities in employment and access to the services and supports they and their families need to fully participate in the community.
Research to address disparities in health, healthcare access, and access to services and supports in minority communities spans the disability and age spectrum. Here are some of the current NIDILRR-funded projects in this area:
The National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research (NCDPR) is a cross-disability initiative to address gaps in knowledge about pregnancy and disability, enhance the experience of pregnancy in women with disabilities, and promote optimal pregnancy-related outcomes for pregnant people with disabilities. Among the projects, the center leverages existing and new data sources to examine racial and ethnic disparities in perinatal care, complications, and outcomes.
The goal of the Virginia Consortium for Spinal Cord Injury Care is to enhance upper extremity function in persons with tetraplegia and to improve the equitable delivery, quality, and coordination of interdisciplinary spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation across the healthcare continuum. This includes a project to accelerate equitable care and outcomes for people from racial and ethnic minority groups with traumatic SCI.
We Walk 4 Health: A mHealth Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities collaborates with community partners serving minorities to develop a mobile health (mHealth) intervention to promote physical activity in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The more than half of the participants from this project are people with IDD from minority communities.
Peer Navigators for the Health and Wellness of People with Psychiatric Disabilities tests the impact of a program that utilizes peer navigators, who are people of similar ethnic heritage who have lived experience of recovery. These peer navigators assist people with psychiatric disabilities in successfully engaging with the healthcare system.
Promoting Obesity Prevention Among Latinx Children with Developmental Disabilities and Families Through Engaged Research addresses the research gap on children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and obesity. In addition to examining the social determinants of health disparities and the health behaviors of children and teens with IDD from Latinx communities, this project is developing and testing an intervention to improve the health of these young people and their families.
In addition to these projects, NIDILRR has funded several projects addressing disparities in employment, civil rights, and transition from school to college or work, as well as capacity building to strengthen the next generation of disability and rehabilitation researchers from minority communities. Explore more than 180 current and completed projects in this area.
Disparities Research In Focus
Our Research In Focus series has examined disparities in health, participation, and employment for people with disabilities from minority communities:
- Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities from Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups May Perceive Different Barriers to Healthcare than Their White Peers
- The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Taken a Toll on Latinx Families with Children with IDD, but There Are Some Positives as Well
- Black Young Adults with Serious Mental Illness Experience Barriers to Vocational Growth, Find Support from Vocational Counselors Who Seek to Understand Their Needs
- Spanish-Speaking Immigrants Share Experiences Adjusting to Traumatic Brain Injury
- Burn Injury Survivors May Face Racial or Ethnic Gaps in Community Integration After injury
- Ex-Offenders with Disabilities May Experience Racial Gaps in Employment and Earnings
- Latina Family Caregivers in Rural Areas Turn to Their Community to Support Young Adults with Disabilities in Transition
- Hispanic Young Adults with Disabilities and Their Families May Face Challenges Transitioning from School to Work
Dive deeper into the research! Visit our REHABDATA database advanced search page or connect with our information specialists who can help you craft the right search strategy to meet your needs.