2023 National Survey on Health and Disability

Kansas University logo next to 'Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies'

The University of Kansas Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies — funded by ACL’s National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) — is seeking adults with disabilities to complete the 2023 National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD). 

The NSHD gives voice to the concerns of people with disabilities and documents their experiences with a variety of issues, including access to health care, insurance coverage, housing, transportation, Long COVID, employment, education, and more. The survey is open to U.S. adults 18 and older with any disability and/or health condition.

For more information, please call 855-556-6328 (Voice/TTY) or email healthsurvey@ku.edu. Participants may complete the survey by phone.

Take the survey

DSD Book Fair Donations

Scholastic Bookshelf and payment icon

Our Book Fair will be here this week! I know the students are excited – it’s been a long time since we’ve hosted a Book Fair. 
 
In the past, I’ve set up systems for those students who are not able to bring money to still be able to get a book from the fair. 
 
This year Scholastic Book Fairs has their e-wallet system. They made it so teachers can set up an e-wallet that others can contribute to. 
 
So, I set up a Library/LINK Center e-wallet to collect donations for students in need and to also add more items to the library collection. 
 
If anyone would like to contribute money to help us get a book for every student, you can do that here.
 
Note – it says “Fund E-Wallet for Karen” and it says “3rd grade” – this is the correct account. It forced me to select a grade – no option for all the grades. And all funds in this e-wallet are going to be used for students and the library only. 
 
Donated funds will be used for students first. If there are any funds left after all students get a book, the leftover money will be used to add books to the library collection for our school. 
 
Anyone who feels they’d like to contribute but would rather do so with cash, you can do that, too. Come see me at the Book Fair.
 
– Thanks to DSD Librarian, Karen Martin

NIH designates people with disabilities as a population with health disparities

National Institutes of Health (NIH) logo

Designation, new research program and update to NIH mission are actions to ensure inclusion of people with disabilities.

Today, Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D., director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), designated people with disabilities as a population with health disparities for research supported by the National Institutes of Health. The decision was made in consultation with Robert Otto Valdez, Ph.D., the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, after careful consideration of a report delivered by an NIMHD advisory council, input from the disability community and a review of the science and evidence. A report issued in December 2022 by the Advisory Committee to the (NIH) Director (ACD), informed by the work of the Subgroup on Individuals with Disabilities, explored similar issues faced by people with disabilities. The designation is one of several steps NIH is taking to address health disparities faced by people with disabilities and ensure their representation in NIH research.

“This designation recognizes the importance and need for research advances to improve our understanding of the complexities leading to disparate health outcomes and multilevel interventions,” said Dr. Pérez-Stable. “Toward this effort, NIMHD and other NIH institutes launched a new research program to better understand the health disparities faced by people with disabilities who are also part of other populations designated as having health disparities.”

Read on at https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-designates-people-disabilities-population-health-disparities?fbclid=IwAR1ze6_68EilUln3hWYcZR5kbDAxHpUieTVoZ-W4M-cDA0B6e2J9iBqJtHc

 

Our Gallaudet football team makes history…again!

AT&T and Gallaudet unveiled a new 5G Football Helmet that would change the way deaf players actually play the game.

 

In 1894, we made history when Paul Hubbard invented the huddle. Today, in 2023, we are making history again with the first-ever 5G-connected football helmet.

On Thursday, October 5, AT&T and Gallaudet University unveiled the first-ever 5G-connected football helmet. This helmet was used for the first time in NCAA history on Saturday, October 5, when Gallaudet played Hilbert College.

The helmet contains a heads-up display. Gallaudet’s head coach uses a tablet computer with the team’s playbook installed on it. He sends plays to the quarterback over 5G, and the quarterback sees them in the display above his right eye. The quarterback then relays the play to his team. This results in instantaneous, clear communication and reduces mistakes and penalties.

There has been extensive media coverage of the helmet launch. The Associated Press, Good Morning America, and People first broke the story. Since then, it has appeared in hundreds of media outlets all over the country and the world. This webpage contains links to some of the major stories. It will be updated periodically.

Read on at https://gallaudet.edu/att-helmet  or the longer video about the helmet at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=702147791306153&extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&ref=sharing&mibextid=2Rb1fB

 

Maine mass shooting may be nation’s worst-ever affecting deaf community, with 4 dead

I Love You hand shapes shown during the OneLewiston Vigil at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine.  Source from David Sokol, USA Today.

The shooting deaths of four deaf people in Maine during the Lewiston rifle rampage last week that killed 18 people appears to be the worst mass shooting affecting the deaf community, according to advocates.

Among the dead are Steve Vozzella, Brian MacFarlane, Billy Brackett, and Joshua Seal, who were playing in a weekly cornhole tournament for deaf and hard-of-hearing people at Schemengees Bar & Grille. Maine has about 1.3 million residents, and deaf advocacy groups say the loss of the four men hits especially hard in such a small state.

Read on at https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/10/29/maine-mass-shooting-may-be-worst-ever-affecting-us-deaf-community/71372264007/

Another source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/maine-shootings-leave-deaf-community-reeling-4-are-killed-rcna122539