Health and Disability Policy News

People with disabilities represent the nation’s single largest and fastest growing minority group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with more than 1 in 4 adults qualifying as disabled. However, up to nearly half of this population may be uncounted.

To better understand the prevalence of disability in America and to address health disparities, the Affordable Care Act mandated that federal health surveys collect data to identify people with disabilities. But new research from the University of Kansas has found that the two most common sets of disability questions used in federal surveys are missing as many as 43% of individuals who should be counted, especially those with psychiatric disabilities or chronic health conditions.

The University of Kansas has secured a pair of grants that will enable researchers to partner with community leaders, self-advocates with disabilities, and families to help improve the transition of young people with disabilities from school to vocational training, higher education, and careers.

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)- University of Kansas researchers will be a part of a $2.5 million grant projected to examine the Affordable Health Care Act and its effects on individuals with disabilities.

Researchers with the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities have issued an in-depth analysis of the online education policies in all 50 states and five U.S. territories with recommendations for improving online and blended learning for students.

The Kansas AgrAbility Project recently gave a large group of soldiers transitioning to civilian life and veterans from Fort Riley an up-close look at how people with disabilities can be active, successful farmers in the Sunflower State.

The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) marked its 25th anniversary on July 25 with commemorations held across the country including at the University of Kansas.

Maria (not their real name) was critically injured in an act of domestic violence. Bradley (not their real name), a veteran, returned from Iraq with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. Both turned to their local Center for Independent Living (CIL) for help navigating the world. Nonprofit CILs provide advocacy and services for people with disabilities, who are considered “consumers” of those services.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole has made a gift of $10,000 to the University of Kansas Research and Training Center on Independent Living (RTC/IL). Founded in 1980, the RTC/IL conducts disability research and provides training designed to enhance independent living for people with disabilities.

Researchers at the University of Kansas have landed a grant to help improve the health of individuals with disabilities by increasing accessibility to programs and removing barriers to services designed to promote healthy living.