A team of graduate students will present research they hope will improve communication between persons with developmental disabilities and health providers in the state at the Health Disparities Conference on April 19 in Springdale, Ark.
Clinton School students Allie Rouse of Piggott, Ark., Katie Powell of Jacksonville, Fl., and Immaculee Kayitare of Rwanda, Africa, spent the last year surveying and interviewing developmental health providers nationwide, conducting focus groups with persons with developmental disabilities and facilitating community meetings in Arkansas.
The students studied the communication preferences of persons with developmental disabilities and how those preferences can be applied to the outreach practices of service providers across the nation.
The research was completed in conjunction with Partners for Inclusive Communities (Partners), a statewide University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education (UCEDD).
“This research is especially important for our work,” said Robin Lockhart, outreach director at Partners for Inclusive Communities. “We know many of our programs are not being fully utilized because individuals around the state are not hearing about them. In order to better serve our state, we need to be more aware of these communication preferences.”
The students’ research indicated a large gap between how providers and those they wish to serve want to receive information.
The research will be disseminated to providers across the nation on the national UCEDD website.
The students completed the project as part of the Clinton School’s Practicum program, the first of three field service projects in the Master of Public Service degree program
The Health Disparities Conference advances social justice through building partnerships for action. Presenters at the conference will offer insights into the serious issues associated with health disparities in Arkansas, and focus on the themes of ethics, advocacy, disabilities and special populations.
About Partners for Inclusive Communities
Partners is the Arkansas UCEDD under the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and is located in North Little Rock. Partners’ work focuses on providing support and services to individuals and families of persons with disabilities to fully participate in their communities.
For more information about Partners for Inclusive Communities visit: www.uofapartners.uark.edu/
For more information on UCEDDs visit: http://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=24
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