DHDD Newsletter – September 2022

In the Spotlight

Quarterly DHDD Partner Meeting

Save the Date! DHDD invites you to a virtual partner meeting on October 19, 1 – 2pm ET

Agenda and relevant materials will be sent before the meeting.

If you have topics you would like to discuss, including topics about your organization’s work or questions for DHDD, please email sarah.lewis@cdc.gov by September 30.

National Preparedness Month

Keeping Children Safe

School is back in session! As you stock up on pencils, take first-day pictures, and adjust to new bus schedules, take a few, quick steps that can keep your child safer during an emergency.

Transitioning back to early childhood programs or school— or starting them for the first time—can create extra challenges, particularly in times of stress. Learn what parents and teachers can do to help children make a successful transition to in-person learning and care.

Funding Announcements

Addressing Needs of People with Disabilities in COVID-19 Local Preparedness Planning, Mitigation and Recovery Efforts

With support from CDC’s Division of Human Development and Disability, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is offering a funding opportunity for local health departments to address the needs of people with disabilities in emergency preparedness, including COVID-19 planning, mitigation, and recovery efforts. Approximately 12 awards and $75,000 per award are available. Information about the funding opportunity, including project activities, goals, and application process, is available on the NACCHO website.

NACCHO will host an optional informational webinar for potential applicants on October 4 at 2:00 pm ET. Proposals are due Friday, October 21 at 11:59 pm PT and selections will be announced the week of October 31.

This is an extension of a project previously funded by CDC to ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities in state, territorial, and local health department preparedness and response efforts.

CDC Funding Will Establish a Disability and Health Data Collaborative

CDC has awarded supplemental funding to New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine to implement a multi-site research study and establish a framework for a Disability and Health Data Collaborative. This project, entitled Disability and Health Data Collaborative: Using Data to Promote the Health and Wellness of People with Disabilities, will use state Medicaid data and data linkages to better characterize and evaluate the health and wellness of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The project will begin on September 30, 2022 and continue for two years.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine is a Prevention Research Center currently funded under CDC RFA-DP-19-001 to conduct Special Interest Projects to design, test, evaluate, disseminate, and translate effective, applied public health prevention research in the United States. NYU Grossman School of Medicine was awarded $479,989 for this supplement.

Publications

Inclusive and Accessible Communications: Best Practices and Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic

A special issue of Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits features best practices in the development and dissemination of inclusive and accessible communications during the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue features a communications initiative funded by the CDC Foundation and perspectives from industry, academia, and the field, including:

• “Closing the Information Gap: Making COVID-19 Information Accessible for People with Disabilities” discusses the development and dissemination of COVID-19 information in braille, American Sign Language, easy-read, and other formats, as well as additional tools and trainings. Lessons learned include involving partners and people with disabilities in project development and implementation, adapting materials development in a rapidly changing context, and providing additional training to health communicators and public health practitioners.

• ‘“Include Me”: Implementing Inclusive and Accessible Communication in Public Health’ describes the planning and delivery of inclusive and accessible scientific presentations for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Grand Rounds event. Lessons learned include working with partner organizations and colleagues who can model inclusive practices; including people with disabilities at every phase of program planning, implementation, and evaluation; and influencing systems to be more inclusive.