The ON TRAC project has worked over the last three plus years to improve the quality of health care for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). The project has partnered transition age youth and young adults with disabilities, families and direct service providers, and clinicians to improve knowledge and self-advocacy skills around health care for individuals with IDD. The overall purpose is to reduce health disparities, enhance self-determination, and community integration and participation.
Objectives, Activities and Outcomes:
Support and empower people with disabilities and caregivers to self-advocate about their health.
- Self-Advocate Training
- Trained self-advocates, their direct support providers (DSP), and families using the Iowa Taking Charge of My Health (TCMH) curriculum inspired by Oregon’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) Taking Charge of my Healthcare Toolkit. This toolkit can be found here: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-office-on-disability-and-health/taking-charge-my-health-care-toolkit.
- These materials were created at Iowa’s UCEDD in collaboration with the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council. The funding came from the UCEDD’s Community Based Transition Grant # 90DDCI0001, called “Our Network of Transition Resources to Adult Care” or ON TRAC.
- Developed a modified version of the TCMH trainings in Spanish.
View Recordings, Materials, and Facilitators Guide
- Trained self-advocates, their direct support providers (DSP), and families using the Iowa Taking Charge of My Health (TCMH) curriculum inspired by Oregon’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) Taking Charge of my Healthcare Toolkit. This toolkit can be found here: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-office-on-disability-and-health/taking-charge-my-health-care-toolkit.
- Health Fun Fair
The UCEDD hosted a “Health Fun Fair” on March 6th, 2024, to share the mission of advocating for equity in health care. Learn more about the Health Fun Fair.
- Self-Advocate Training
Share information and resources that promote access to quality health care for people with IDD in communities of their choice.
- Mini Grants
Awarded ten mini grants to Iowa agencies to support them in projects to improve access to quality care for people with IDD. Below are some mini grant project successes:- The Arc of Iowa created an Accessible Health Care Checklist.
- Happy at Home consulting developed a program on Aging Well with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities.
- Henry County Public Health developed a sensory friendly immunization space.
- Disability Rights Iowa prepared a health equity rights and responsibilities question and answer document with information on the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), requires that health care entities provide full and equal access for people with disabilities. Facilities must also make reasonable efforts to accommodate individuals with disabilities.
- IntellectAbility
- Offered the opportunity for Residents and Physicians to enroll and take the IntellectAbility "Curriculum in IDD Healthcare" within University of Iowa Family Medicine.
- Discovery Living Inc. used a mini grant to purchase licenses for current direct support staff and new hires to take the IntellectAbility Fatal Five training course. View Success Story.
Contributed to the UI Learn Course "Providing Quality Care for People with Disabilities." This self-paced course was created by faculty and staff from Iowa's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) training program. View Course Description and Enroll.
- Mini Grants
- Provided feedback, through a disability lens, to the Community Health Workers (CHW) Professional Skills training offered in Iowa.
- A cohort of IDD allies complete the Community Health Worker (CHW) curriculum and provide feedback to the Iowa Chronic Care Consortium from a disability lens. Suggestions were offered for follow-up training needs and opportunities. View Report.
- The CHW training website is www.communityhealthworker.org.