Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center UCEDD is a partner in the Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities (CDHPD). The CDHPD is an interdisciplinary coalition of stakeholders, including medical providers, researchers, ethicists, individuals with disabilities, and their family members. The Center’s goal is to identify and reduce life-limiting healthcare inequities faced by people with intellectual and developmental (ID/DD) disabilities. Healthcare inequities are preventable aspects of care that cause people to have worse health outcomes. Ableism contributes to these healthcare inequities.

The Center for Dignity aims to:

1. Increase understanding of gaps in existing policies and guidelines related to medical discrimination;
2. Increase access to anti-discrimination guidelines co-created by clinicians, professionals, self-advocates, and family members;
3. Increase informational access on barriers to healthcare and the value of improved life outcomes for people with ID/DD and;
4. Increase support for families and individuals with ID/DD to defend against healthcare discrimination.

To learn more about the Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities visit https://centerfordignity.com