'A Patient Voice' Community

Welcome!!! The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) is a national non-profit association dedicated to health promotion and wellness for children and adults with disabilities. AAHD accomplishes its mission through advocacy, education, public awareness and research. AAHD hosts the AAHD Health Promotion Resource Center, www.aahd.us, a FREE comprehensive clearinghouse of information on disability and health for people with disabilities, health care professionals, researchers and advocates. AAHD also produces a FREE newsletter and created the AAHD Scholarship Program for students with disabilities majoring in a disability related field. AAHD is proud of its peer reviewed Disability and Health Journal, which is available at a discounted price to WebMD viewers at www.aahd.us/membership.

Do you know more than 54 million people in the US report having a disability? Do you know that people with disabilities report being in poorer overall health, have less access to effective health care and doctors, have higher rates of smoking, are more likely to be overweight or obese and are less physically active than those without disabilities?

Why do you think there are health disparities between children and adults with disabilities and those without disabilities? Do you have have thoughts on how to reduce these differences?

As a person with a disability, what have you done to keep yourself in good health? As a health care provider, do you spend extra time with your patients to remind them about the importance of health screenings and healthy behaviors?