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Through the workgroups, DEC engages with researchers, advocacy organizations, payers, healthcare organizations, professional societies, policy makers and many others who are all working towards accessible healthcare for people with disabilities.
DEC’s efforts crosscut and engage individuals with all types of disabilities.
While we collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders in our workgroups, the DEC Leaders workgroup is specifically targeted for individuals who work on the ground in their healthcare systems on disability accessibility initiatives.
Most often, these individuals hold titles at their healthcare organizations such as ADA Coordinator, 504 Officer, or Disability Accessibility Coordinator. If this sounds like you, we invite you to join us!
The DEC Leaders workgroup supports members in following ways:
1. DEC organizes bi-weekly, virtual, confidential meetings to discuss challenges and successes in implementing disability accessibility initiatives in the healthcare setting. During these meetings, subject matter experts are regularly invited as guest speakers, and we hold open discussions for participants to exchange ideas, find solutions to problems they face in their organizations, and champion their successes.
2. The DEC website hosts resources that support members’ initiatives. Additionally, DEC facilitates a closed platform with a confidential discussion board and supplemental internal resources that are shared among members between meetings.
DEC Leaders meetings are an open space for members to discuss challenges and collaborate on solutions. We have discussed topics such as:
- Effective communication in healthcare
- Accommodating patients with autism
- Documentation of accommodations and disability status in the electronic health record (EHR)
- Accommodations for patients with disabilities during COVID-19 (visitor policies, clear masks)
- Guidelines for accessible medical equipment