Health and Wellness

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

• Advancing Behavioral Health Integration (Baylor College of Medicine)
• Healthy LEAP (Lifestyle, Education, and Practice) (Special Olympics Texas)
• Health Equity for People with DD (University of Houston-Clear Lake)
• Supporting Older Adults with DD and Their Caregivers (The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston)
• Treatment for Substance-Use Disorders (The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth)

Mental Health Care

• Complex Mental Health Needs and People With DD (The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School)
• Coping with Grief and Loss (Rice University)
• Project TEDD (Training Educators in Dual Diagnosis) (Texas Tech University)
• Trauma-Informed Mental Health Care for Youth with DD (Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute)
• The Whole Person Training (The Arc of Texas)
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Sexual Assault Prevention and Healthy Relationships

• Facts of Life Project (Texas Tech University)
• Sexual Assault Response and Prevention (SAFE Alliance)
• Texas Sexual Assault Response and Prevention (The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School)
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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:

• Texas COVID Stories 3 Months After State Shutdowns
• Texas COVID Stories 6 Months After State Shutdowns
• Texas COVID Stories 1 Year After State Shutdowns

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