Alice Frame – Program Coordinator - Health Promotion for People with Disabilities Initiative - Disabilities Health Unit – Michigan Department of health and Human Services
In emergency preparedness, it’s important to know how to
reach an affected population for service implementation and communication
dissemination. This is incredibly important in an emergency that affects people
with disabilities – because this is a very large and incredible diverse
population. People with disabilities are all unique and have different types of
needs. There is not a “disability registry” that will allow responders to reach
everyone with a disability all at one time.
Understanding overlapping demographics can help ensure maximum reach and
provide numerous ways to identify as many individuals with disabilities as
possible.
Here are some demographics that frequently overlap with
disability status, and the relevant support services to connect with:
- Age -prevalence of disability increases
consistently with age. Among individuals 75 years and older, 42.8% have a
disability. Older adults are also more likely to use assistive equipment
related to their disability, and more likely to have multiple disabilities.
Partnering with organizations who provide services to the adult and aging
population can help reach these individuals.
- Low socioeconomic status– as household income
decreased, rates of disability increase – with 47.7% of adults in Michigan with
incomes < $20,000 having a disability.
Many income-based public assistance offices serve a large population of
people with disabilities. For example, Michigan households with one or more
persons with a disability are significantly more likely to receive Food Stamps
or SNAP (28%), whereas only 11% of households with no persons with a disability
receive these services.
- Smoking – the rate of smoking and other tobacco
use is significantly higher among the disability population. In Michigan, 27%
of people with disabilities report smoking, compared to 18.5% of individuals
without disabilities. Smoking cessation programs would serve many individuals
with disabilities.
- Homelessness - people with disabilities are more
likely to experience homelessness. Among the homeless population, 40% are
individuals with disabilities – much higher than the rate of disabilities in
the general population. Local shelters and food banks may be able to help find
channels through which to reach this population.
- Military service – while the data is not clear
on the extent to the overlap of disabilities among veterans, it is clear that a
significant number of veterans experience service-related disabilities.
Estimates vary depending on location and time of service, but roughly 1 in 4 solders
who served in Iraq or Afghanistan experience service-related disability. Local
Veterans Affairs offices can help reach these populations.
- Chronic disease – people with disabilities are
significantly more likely to have most chronic conditions. For many, they are
more than twice as likely. For example, 60.6% of people with disabilities have
been told they have arthritis, compared to only 20.1% of people without
disabilities.
- Unemployment – the rate of unemployment is much
higher among people with disabilities. Estimates vary, but the Department of
Labor states that labor force participation is only 20.8% among people with
disabilities, while it is as high as 68.3%
among people without disabilities. Employment agencies and unemployment
services likely serve a large population of people with disabilities.
Understanding how demographics overlap can help emergency
preparedness and response teams to identify resources and channels of
information dissemination.
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