Project Description:
The Center on Disability and Development (CDD) at Texas A&M University submitted an application for the Administration on Community Living's new funding opportunity to expand the public health workforce within the disability networks. The purpose of this project was to increase the health network's capacity to promote and protect the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work, and play. The proposed work included a variety of services related to public health such as health and wellness education and information, counseling, case management and guidance related to health and social needs, as well as how to access those supports in the local community.
The proposed project was an additional effort to a current project that addressed COVID-19 vaccine availability for people with disabilities in Texas. It intended to work with various health care partners to recruit, hire, and train public health workers to respond to the pandemic and prepare for future public health challenges. As outlined by the ACL, the CDD aimed to increase the number of public health professionals within the disability networks to address the unique needs of people with disabilities through the support of wages and benefits for these professionals. Professionals supported through this program may provide a wide range of public health services and supports, including provision of assistance for vaccines and boosters, transition and diversion from high-risk congregate settings to community living, provision and connections to health and wellness programs, activities that address social isolation and social determinants of health, and other activities that support the public health and wellbeing of people with disabilities.
In FY 2025, the following activities were conducted:
1. Switched Toy Program, collaboration with St. Joseph Hospital
The CDD partnered with Switched Adapted Toys and CHI St. Joseph Hospital's physical and occupational therapy clinics to provide 160 switches and over 75 switch adapted toys to children in the Brazos Valley. CHI St. Joseph 3D printed switches and provided tools and training to adapt off-the shelf toys, allowing the project to reach many more children than would be possible if adapted toys were purchased from specialized providers. The CDD provided funding, recruited volunteers and recipients, and publicized the events. Community volunteers modified the toys, which were distributed at the CDD's 2025 Brazos Valley Disability Conference and Resource Fair. Speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists will model use of the toys in therapy sessions, allowing families to support therapy goals daily at home and in the community. Families were encouraged to return the toys to CHI St. Joseph when children outgrow them or lose interest, allowing them to acquire new adapted toys and creating a toy lending library for other families in the community. Increasing children's proficiency in switch use will support their dexterity, motor control, and ability to communicate, enabling them to interact with technology, engage with their families and environments, and live more independently.
2. (TPIA)
The TPIA is a statewide partnership of organizations initially created to helping Texans with disabilities receive the COVID-19 vaccine and other services. The statewide and local agencies include, but not limited to: Disability Rights Texas, Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities, Texas A&M University Center on Disability and Development, and University of Texas at Austin Center for Disability Studies (including the Texas Technology Access Program), Aging, Disability And Transportation Resource Center - El Paso And Far West Texas, Amistad Serving Our Community Since 1976, Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living, Coastal Bend Center for Independent Living, Connect to Care, FEMA, House the Homeless, Inc., Providers Alliance for Community Services of Texas, Rio Grande Aging, Disability and Transportation Resource Center, State Independent Living Council (SILC), Texas Advocates, Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute, Texas Governor's Committee on People with disabilities, Texas Health and Human Services, The Arc of Texas, West Central Texas Aging and Disability Resource Center. TPIA is a collaboration among Texans with disabilities, state leaders, and community organizations to ensure Texas communities meet the unique needs of individuals with disabilities and their families. TPIA provides trustworthy information and resources so that Texans with disabilities have fewer barriers to obtain community-based services and supports. We collaborated with local medical experts and health leaders in communities throughout our state who can answer questions about vaccinations and address concerns that individuals with disabilities, family members, and other direct caregivers may have. Partners also work in local communities across Texas to provide direct assistance to individuals with disabilities to find vaccines, get rides to appointments, arrange for drive thru clinics, or coordinate in-home vaccination options. Similarly, partners collaborate closely with vaccine clinic providers to offer guidance on needed technology, sensory, and communication accommodations. More of this work has been shared in the TPIA Project description and activities.
3. Review of Resources for Health Care Professionals
Institutions within the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) network have developed various resources to improve health professionals' awareness and competency in disability care. We reviewed and synthesized the resources currently available within the network and identified major trends and training emphasis for health professionals working with people with disabilities. Findings were presented at the 149th Annual Meeting of American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
4. Information Dissemination
Texas Transition Conference Presentations (February 2025)
- Empowering Youth Voices: Strategies and Resources for Disability Advocacy and Leadership
- Do You Have a Roadmap? Identifying Transition Resources in Your Community.
- Enlisting Families to Advocate for Change in Texas
- Beyond the Classroom: Designing and Implementing Individualized 18+ Programs & Services.
-CTE Pathways to Building Resilience
Brazos Valley Disability Conference and Resource Fair Presentations (February 2025)
- Partnering for Success: An Autism Panel Discussion for Parents (Birth - Elementary)
-Launching into Adulthood: An Autism Panel Discussion for Secondary Students and Beyond
- Navigating SSI and SSDI Programs
-You Don't Know What you Don't Know
- Brazos Valley Disability Conference and Resource Fair - Resource Guide
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, General Public
