Health and Wellness

Mental health, sexual health, and health care access.

Table of Contents

Health and wellness play a crucial role in the lives of people with developmental disabilities (DD). But finding appropriate care tailored to their needs can be challenging. TCDD is dedicated to expanding health care access, mental health resources, and sexual health education for people with DD. We work diligently to improve the understanding and availability of inclusive health care services for people with DD.

Adults with disabilities experience mental distress almost five times more often than those without disabilities. Additionally, the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey shows that both women and men with disabilities are at greater risk of experiencing sexual violence. The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted the physical and mental health of Texans with DD in significant ways.

TCDD Contributions to Health and Wellness

Through grant projects, policy activities, and community engagement, TCDD expands opportunities for Texans with DD to engage in healthy behaviors and find DD-informed health care. Our efforts also build community-provider networks, develop health training for providers to people with DD, and educate people with DD about sexual health and healthy relationships.

The following lists include examples of TCDD-funded projects that developed and tested new ways to address health care access, mental health care, healthy relationships, and sexual assault response and prevention for people with DD.

Health Care Access

Mental Health Care

Sexual Assault Prevention and Healthy Relationships

Along with grant projects, TCDD’s Public Policy Priorities support efforts and initiatives to increase the accessibility, affordability, and effectiveness of health care for everyone. Our Council affirms that all people, regardless of disability, age, or income, deserve the access they need to affordable, comprehensive health care.

COVID-19 Pandemic

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, TCDD monitored the situation, evaluated the impact to people with DD, and provided resources for people with DD, families, caretakers, and other community members. Between 2020 and 2021, we conducted three Texas COVID Stories surveys to better understand how the pandemic affected the lives and health of Texans with DD, families, caregivers, and service providers. Survey respondents shared stories about how pandemic-related shutdowns in Texas impacted their lives, including school and workplace changes, social distancing, and other disruptions.

See the results of our Texas COVID Stories surveys:

Making Vaccination Safe and Comfortable

As COVID-19 vaccines became available in 2021, many people with disabilities, families, and providers had questions about vaccination. TCDD and other organizations provided information to help people make informed decisions about their health care.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake, with support from TCDD, created inclusive vaccination training materials to help medical professionals, family members, and community health aides promote cooperation, comfort, and safety for people with DD receiving vaccines or other health care services. The training includes modules for health care professionals, parents and caregivers, and community health aides. Each module features an online video, a supplemental PDF handbook, and virtual Q&A sessions. The materials are part of a project called Behavior Analysis for Inclusive Vaccine Administration to address health care disparities experienced by people with DD.

The CDC also developed resources on COVID-19 vaccine options for all age groups with timelines for when to get vaccine boosters as well as additional vaccine information for people who are immunocompromised.

Health and Wellness Stories

The following stories show the impact of TCDD-funded health and wellness projects on people, organizations, and communities:

Dental Health Improvement
One patient in the dental portion of the Advancing Behavioral Health Integration grant with Baylor College of Medicine has participated in the program for two years. Prior to this project, she had never gone to the dentist without some form of sedation. After receiving behavioral intervention through the project, the patient has been able to have her teeth brushed and flossed on a weekly schedule. This is an enormous improvement for her oral health.

Supporting Students with Dual Diagnoses
One special education teacher in Corpus Christi said Project TEDD (Training Educators in Dual Diagnosis) — coordinated by Texas Tech University — has given her knowledge, skills, and materials to support her students with dual diagnoses as well as her colleagues who have students with dual diagnoses. This teacher found the training on distinguishing between mental health issues and mental illness to be very impactful in her teaching and found crisis intervention strategies helpful in her classroom. With her training and the materials and support from Project TEDD, this teacher is confident that she can continue sharing this information with colleagues to support students with DD and mental illness.

Additional Resources

 
Changes with the Ending of the Public Health Emergency (PDF, 133 KB, 2 pages) explains how the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) affects Medicaid benefits, vaccines and testing, and emergency-use authorizations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The document also includes recommendations for Medicaid recipients.
The United States Health and Human Services developed a COVID-19 PHE Transition Fact Sheet with in-depth information about the impacts to services and programs.

This TCDD resource provides information about extending health insurance coverage for adults with disabilities once they reach age 26. The resource is available in English and Spanish: 

Through a TCDD-funded grant project, Texas Tech University developed dual diagnosis resources for educators. These resources are designed to raise awareness and support teachers who work with students dually diagnosed with DD and a mental health condition.

The Medicaid and DD in Texas fact sheet (PDF, 338 KB) provides information on how access to Medicaid services impacts people with DD in Texas. The fact sheet covers some of the Medicaid programs that help people with DD participate in community life, how Texas Medicaid services compare to other states, and more.
The Successful Communication with People with Disabilities (PDF, 2 pages, 485 KB) handout provides guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination sites and other medical facilities to ensure their staff can communicate effectively with people with disabilities. There are many types of disabilities — some visible, some invisible — and each person has unique needs and preferences. The best thing to do is ask a person how you can support them while they receive a vaccine. The handout was developed by TCDD, the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Texas Partners for Inclusive Access is a collaboration among Texans with disabilities, state leaders, and community organizations to ensure our state’s service and support systems meet the unique needs of people with disabilities and their families. The collaboration also provides trustworthy information and resources so Texans with disabilities have fewer barriers to obtain community services and supports.
As part of a TCDD-funded grant project, The Arc of Texas developed videos featuring Texans with disabilities who share their experiences with accessing services and supports, living independently, and more.

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