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The latest advocacy efforts on access to healthcare

November 7, 2023 | by sau1admin

Fisa Foundation

Advocacy Efforts to Advance Accessible Healthcare for People with Disabilities

FISA Foundation works to increase access to high-quality healthcare for people with disabilities and raise awareness about the health disparities that people with disabilities face. Check out the current efforts to increase equitable healthcare for people with disabilities.

How Disability Advocates Influenced Policy Change at the NIH

Text above a clock, syringes, and a stethoscope reads Nothing About Us Without Us: How Disability Advocates Influenced Recent Policy Change in Public Health Research.

Earlier this fall, the NIH designated people with disabilities as a population that experiences health disparities. The technical designation opens the door to federal funding from the NIH for research on people with disabilities, allowing greater insight into health challenges that people with disabilities experience. Leading up to the NIH's decision, disability advocates and researchers put forth significant efforts to express their endorsement of the designation.

Read our story about how researchers, healthcare workers, and advocates in the disability community quickly mobilized to push the NIH to ultimately grant this much-needed designation. Thank you to all the advocates in the disability community who have relentlessly pushed for this change!

Read Here


Submit Public Comment to Address Disability Discrimination in Healthcare by Nov. 13th

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is now seeking public input on the proposed rule to update Section 504 of the Rehabilitations Act of 1973.

The rule change aims to address disability discrimination in healthcare funded by federal dollars, including funds used by hospitals and healthcare providers that accept Medicaid or Medicare. This is an opportunity for the disability community to influence policy change.

It’s important for the disability community to share experiences of health discrimination and to voice their support of the rule change. Public comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern) on November 13, 2023.

Submit Public Comment


The National Survey on Disability and Health is out!

Banner. Text below images on different people reads Your Voice Matters Participate in the 2023 National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD) based at the University of Kansas

Based at the University of Kansas, the National Survey on Disability and Health aims to document the experiences of people with disabilities across a variety of issues, including access to health care, housing, long COVID, transportation, employment, and connection to community.

This project gives voice to the concerns of people with disabilities. The survey relies on voluntary participation of people with disabilities and the engagement of disability researchers, advocates, and service providers. The survey is available via text message, email and by phone. Fill out the short form linked below, and the survey will be sent to your device.

Access the Survey Here


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