[acb-hsp] [leadership] Health care system is not well prpared; says Equal Rights Center report: part 1 of 2.

[peter altschul]

 ---- Original Message ------
From: Charles Crawford <ccrawford at starpower.net
Subject: [leadership] Health care system is not well prpared;says 
Equal Rights  Center report: part 1 of 2.
Date sent: Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:23:11 -0500

Hi NCAC members and friends,

	Here is the first part of a two part text of a
report done by the equal Rights Center in
Washington, DC.  It is a very interesting review
of our health care system with relationship to accessibility.  
Enjoy!

--  Charlie Crawford.

Part 1 of 2.


A Report by the Equal Rights Center

2011





Ill-Prepared
Health Care’s Barriers for People with Disabilities




















Ill-Prepared
Health Care’s Barriers for
People with Disabilities















The Equal Rights Center



11 Dupont Circle, N.W.

Suite 450

Washington, D.C.  20036



www.equalrightscenter.org





November 2011





© Equal Rights Center - 2011 All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents



Executive Summary 2

About the Author 4

Overview of the Problem 5

Health Care and Legal Protections 12

ERC Testing Overview 19

  Structural Accessibility of Optometrists’ Offices

  Accessible Medical Forms

  Accessible Prescription Labels

Conclusion 26
Executive Summary

The ability to find affordable, quality, and
accessible medical care promotes the wellbeing and active
participation of people in their communities and
in the workforce.  Access not only benefits individuals,
but also society at large by creating healthy,
productive, working citizens.  However, for people with
disabilities, quality health care remains largely
inaccessible.  The denial of accessible health care to a
person with a disability too often means
compromised medical treatment—equipment that is not ac-
cessible and critical exams not given at all, or
given in a way that impairs diagnosis.  In each instance,
equal opportunity is denied to people with
disabilities, and health and lives are put at risk.

Despite legal requirements and Federal government
initiatives to address barriers to accessible medical
care, significant problems remain for more than
54 million Americans living with a disability.  These
problems will only become more devastating as
baby boomers age and the number of people with dis-
abilities continues to grow.

Each year, the Equal Rights Center (ERC) receives
numerous complaints from individuals with disabili-
ties across the nation who experience substantial
health care disparities and lack of access to appropri-
ate care.  The three most significant barriers
cited in ERC complaints include: (1) structural barriers in
health care facilities, (2) inaccessible medical
equipment, and (3) policies and procedures that create
barriers for patients with disabilities, such as
inaccessible forms of communication.

The alarming frequency of these complaints
spurred the ERC to initiate a three-pronged series of inves-
tigations concerning access to health care for
people with disabilities.  Conducting hundreds of tests at
locations across the nation, the ERC’s
investigation reveals notable barriers in the structural 
accessibil-
ity of doctors’ offices and equipment, and
ineffective communication for individuals who are blind or
have low vision.









www.equalrightscenter.org


2
Findings from ERC investigations include:

.  Only 20 percent of optometrists’ offices had
the accessibility needed to perform an eye
exam on someone who uses a wheelchair;
.  Only 23 percent of doctors’ offices and
hospitals offered patient information in large
print, and only 24 percent offered patient
information in an accessible format; and
.  Only 1 percent of pharmacies offered
information in Braille and only 1 percent offered
audible prescription bottles.  In fact, 86 percent
of tested pharmacies would not accom-
modate the use of an audible prescription bottle
even if provided by the customer.




These alarming statistics demonstrate why medical
service and product providers must acknowledge
the uniquely important roles they play in the
lives of people with disabilities and change their methods
of delivery to better accommodate this community.








Ill-Prepared


3





Fig.  1


Ill-Prepared National Testing Findings
About the Author

The Equal Rights Center



Originally formed in 1983, the Equal Rights Center (ERC) is a 
national
non-profit civil rights organization based in Washington, D.C  
With
thousands of members located in all 50 states and
the District of Columbia, the ERC works nationally to
promote equal opportunity in housing, employment,
disability rights, immigrant rights, LGBT rights and
access to public accommodations and government
services for all protected classes under federal,
state, and local laws.  With nearly three decades
of experience as an advocate of the disability commu-
nity, the ERC has been a sounding board for
scores of individual complaints about inaccessible health
care.

In its nearly thirty-year history, the ERC has
developed an expertise in civil rights testing that has been
recognized by federal, state, and local
governments, other civil rights organizations, and the
courts.  The ERC conducts hundreds of civil rights
tests each year to educate the public and govern-
ment officials of the endemic discrimination
still faced by many individuals across America.













www.equalrightscenter.org


4
Overview of the Problem

  Despite increasing efforts to ensure that all Ameri-
cans are able to access appropriate and adequate
medical services, health care continues to be inac-
cessible for many with disabilities, often with
harmful consequences.  People with disabilities
experience both health disparities and specific
problems in gaining access to appropriate health
care, including health promotion and disease pre-
vention programs and services.

As the population continues to grow and people
live longer, the number of Americans that have a
disability is rapidly increasing.  In 2005, 54.4
million individuals (18.7 percent) had some level of disabil-
ity, and 35.0 million (12.0 percent) had a severe
disability.1 Rates of disability also increase with age,
with 41.9 percent of individuals over the age of
65 reporting a disability, compared with 18.6 percent
of people who are 16 to 64.2 Further, the numbers
of older persons are expected to grow substantially
during the next several decades.  It is estimated
that by 2030, the number of persons aged 65 years
and older will rise to 71 million, from 34.7
million in 2000.  By 2030, the number of individuals aged 85
and older will also increase considerably, to 9.6
million, from 4.3 million in 2000.3

Disability is closely linked to health care use.  People with 
disabilities:

.  Tend to be in poorer health and to use health
care at significantly higher rates than peo-
ple who do not have disabilities;












1 Matthew Brault, Americans with Disabilities:
2005, CURRENT POPULATION REPORTS, (2008) at 3, http://
www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p70-117.pdf.

2 J.  Waldrop and S.  M.  Stern, Disability Status:
2000-Census 2000 Brief, U.S.  BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, at 2.

3 Institute of Medicine: Committee on Disability
in America, The Future of Disability in America, (Field MJ, Jette
AM eds., National Academic Press) 2007.


Ill-Prepared


5
.  Experience a higher prevalence of secondary
conditions and use preventive services at
lower rates; and
.  Experience more problems accessing health care
than other groups, and these difficul-
ties increase for those with the most significant
disabilities and who are in the poorest
health.  Moreover, lack of access to health care
has been associated with increased risk
for secondary conditions for people with significant 
disabilities.4



People with disabilities experience a variety of
barriers when accessing health care, including:

.  Stereotypes about disability on the part of healthcare 
providers;
.  Health care provider misinformation, and lack
of appropriately trained staff;
.  Limited health care facility accessibility and
lack of examination equipment that can be
used by people with varying disabilities;
.  Lack of sign language interpreters;
.  Lack of materials in formats that are
accessible to people who are blind or have low vi-
sion; and
.  Lack of individualized accommodations.5



At the national level, the scope of this crisis
was recognized by the U.S.  Department of Health
and Human Services, when it included reduction of
health disparities affecting people with disa-
bilities as a priority in the “Healthy People
2010.” People with disabilities are represented in
over half of the “Healthy People 2010” focus areas.6

Similarly, in 2005, the national Surgeon
General’s Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of
Persons with Disabilities identified four
specific goals for the nation to improve the health and wellness
of persons with disabilities: GOAL 1: People
nationwide understand that persons with disabilities can





www.equalrightscenter.org


6


4National Council on Disability, The Current
State of Health Care for People with Disabilities, (2009), 
http://
www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2009/HealthCare/HealthCare.html