Community Health Care for Adults and Elders with Developmental Disabilities

The Center on Human Development and Disability, located at the University of Washington, received funding from the Washington State Developmental Disability Council (DDC) to develop curricula and training modules for health care professionals, community based residential providers and family members that addressed the health care needs of adults with developmental disabilities. The DDC is a federally funded nonprofit organization of consumers representing the interests of individuals with developmental disabilities in the state of Washington.

Prior to developing the health care curricula and offering the training, we surveyed physicians, family members of adults with developmental disabilities, self-advocates, and residential service providers in order to better understand the current status of service delivery to individuals with disabilities in Washington State. The focus of the survey was to identify respondents’ perceptions of barriers that could be minimized and potentially useful actions that could be expanded through pre-service or in-service training opportunities.

The material available on this website includes the various curricula developed during the project, survey data, and additional resource information. The most recent modules can be found at top link to left.