April 4-6, 2024 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Innovations in Health Communication
Innovations in Health Communication
Abstract: Universally Designed Mental Health Access for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are an underserved population in the field of mental health. While people with IDD have similar or higher rates of mental health conditions than people without IDD, they are less likely to receive services and when they do the emergency room, family doctor or health clinic is the first place they most often seek treatment. In 2019, 32% of people with a disability said they felt mentally unhealthy for at least half of the last month compared to 7% of adults without a disability. Services are often siloed, wait times for services are extensive and crisis services are challenging. Merge seeks to offer an increased continuity of care to more effectively serve individuals with co-occurring mental health conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities with input from collaborators, partners, families, and individuals with lived experience in the state of Kentucky. Services are universally designed, person-centered, culturally relevant and address racial, health and economic inequities. We want individuals with IDD to be able to find appropriate mental health care.
Merge developed a state team with partners and people with lived experience to conduct a landscape analysis to identify current strengths and gaps in the mental health and intellectual and developmental disabilities systems in Kentucky. We promote quality mental health care and supports for people with developmental disabilities by providing access to information, resources, and training. The voices of individuals with lived experience are central to building an improved mental health care system capable of serving everyone, regardless of disability status. Merge uses webinars, modules, stories and interviews to provide narratives and training to direct service providers, medical providers, mental health providers, law enforcement, first responders, families, caregivers as well as individuals with lived experience. To determine what needs to be included in the training initiative, a literature review was conducted, followed by developing a list of needs, gaps, and priorities. We then held Listening Sessions across the state and planned individual interviews of people with lived experience.
Merge outcomes are to increase collaborations and knowledge across systems and providers, increase the number and quality of accessible resources, increase service capacity and ultimately improve life outcomes of individuals with mental health conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities. We aim to increase our supports and resources to effectively serve people with MHIDD. We do this by using a universal design framework that is trauma-informed and person-centered. Universal Design benefits everyone by making products and environments that are accessible regardless of age, size, ability or disability. Individuals with lived experiences are central to guiding our work.
The impact we hope to have for the state of Kentucky includes finding and increasing quality, accessible mental health providers who treat co-occurring MHIDD, increased access in getting a diagnosis (often individuals with developmental disabilities are told they cannot have a separate mental health condition that their symptoms are part of their disability), and promoting the social model of disability which suggests that individual limitations are not the cause of disability.
Merge developed a state team with partners and people with lived experience to conduct a landscape analysis to identify current strengths and gaps in the mental health and intellectual and developmental disabilities systems in Kentucky. We promote quality mental health care and supports for people with developmental disabilities by providing access to information, resources, and training. The voices of individuals with lived experience are central to building an improved mental health care system capable of serving everyone, regardless of disability status. Merge uses webinars, modules, stories and interviews to provide narratives and training to direct service providers, medical providers, mental health providers, law enforcement, first responders, families, caregivers as well as individuals with lived experience. To determine what needs to be included in the training initiative, a literature review was conducted, followed by developing a list of needs, gaps, and priorities. We then held Listening Sessions across the state and planned individual interviews of people with lived experience.
Merge outcomes are to increase collaborations and knowledge across systems and providers, increase the number and quality of accessible resources, increase service capacity and ultimately improve life outcomes of individuals with mental health conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities. We aim to increase our supports and resources to effectively serve people with MHIDD. We do this by using a universal design framework that is trauma-informed and person-centered. Universal Design benefits everyone by making products and environments that are accessible regardless of age, size, ability or disability. Individuals with lived experiences are central to guiding our work.
The impact we hope to have for the state of Kentucky includes finding and increasing quality, accessible mental health providers who treat co-occurring MHIDD, increased access in getting a diagnosis (often individuals with developmental disabilities are told they cannot have a separate mental health condition that their symptoms are part of their disability), and promoting the social model of disability which suggests that individual limitations are not the cause of disability.