title: Variations in provider capacity to offer accessible health care for people with disabilities.
abstract: Since social workers are likely to practice in a range of health care settings, their training focusing on human behavior in the social environment could help providers develop strategies to improve access to care for people with disabilities. In this article, results from a comprehensive survey of providers about access to health care for people with a broad range of disabilities are reported. Results suggest that a minority of providers report difficulty serving people with disabilities. However, dentists and mental health/substance abuse providers are significantly less likely than other providers to report that they provide accessible services to individuals with disabilities. These providers are less likely to report having had training related to mobility impairments, providing mirrors at their facility, having an accessible door, or providing assistance with personal care needs, and are more likely to report that their building poses a barrier for people with disabilities. Social workers are well positioned to take a leadership role in working with providers and patients to improve access to health care for people with disabilities. A social work framework of understanding the individual in a social environment may be the most appropriate perspective for creating innovative strategies for addressing the complex, multidimensional needs of people with disabilities who experience limited access to care.
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215, USA. sbachman@bu.edu
authors.forename: Sara S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bachman
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vedrani
authors.forename: Mari-Lynn
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Drainoni
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tobias
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Andrew
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003256:Community Participation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011336:Probability; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States