2003 Annual Reports for Boards and Committees

COMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGY 2003 ANNUAL REPORT

The mission of the Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology (CDIP) is to further the central purpose of APA – to advance psychology as a science and as a profession and as a means of promoting health and human welfare – by ensuring that people with disabilities receive the full attention of the Association in order that all human resources are actualized.

The mission of CDIP is to:

• Promote the psychological welfare of people with disabilities;
• Promote the development and implementation of psychological service delivery models responsive to the needs of people with disabilities;
• Promote the awareness of disability issues in psychological research as well as specific research activity in disability areas;
• Promote inclusion of knowledge about disabilities and disability issues in education, training programs, and professional development of psychologists.

• Terry DeRocher Lerma, PhD, Chair
• Alette Coble-Temple, PsyD
• Daniel Holland, Ph.D.
• Rhoda Olkin, Ph.D.
• Greg Taliaferro, Ph.D.
• Izabella Schultz, Ph.D.

The Committee’s Spring Meeting took place on March 14 - 16, 2003 at the APA offices. The items that would normally have been addressed at the Fall Meeting, including the review of applications for membership on the committee and items from the Spring Meetings requiring follow-up, were handled via conference calls. Given APA’s budgetary restrictions this past year, committee members made great efforts to remain in regular communication via electronic mail and telephone throughout the year.

The Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology (CDIP) reports to the Board of Directors through the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI).

Summary of CDIP's Current Activities

Ms. Khubchandani has continued to put much effort into this program and it continues running smoothly. Mentors and Mentees can sign up for this program through the APA website and be matched with a suitable partner within a very short period of time. Other accommodations (e.g., assistance with answering questions on the website and allowing individuals to give information via print format if requested) through the ODIP have been made for those individuals who may have difficulties navigating the mentorship website. In summary, the purpose of this program is to assist with the facilitation of mentoring relationships between disabled psychologists in training and more established psychologists with disabilities. The impetus of this program stems from the fact that there have been too few disabled psychologists available to share helpful experiences and give guidance for those in training. CDIP members continue to serve as mentors in the program and continually work with Ms. Khubchandani in promoting the importance of this program.

The Committee has continued to refine the Strategic Plan, aiming to develop concrete, measurable goals with specific time frames.

Dr. Kendall-Tackett, who recently rotated off the Committee, obtained suggestions for revisions to the proposed resolution from BAPPI and obtained approval of the document during 2002. Following some additional minor revisions, the Resolution was approved by APA’s Board of Directors and then by the Council of Representatives at its February 2003 meeting. CDIP will continue to work with other interested parties to develop strategies for implementation of the Resolution.

In 2001, CDIP and the Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment (CPTA) formed a collaborative working group to address some issues concerning the accessibility of psychological tests to persons with disabilities. Access to psychological tests by test administrators who have a disability is one of the primary issues on which this working group has been focused. The efforts to meet the needs for testing accommodations have continued, despite a number of challenges, such as those posed as a result of proprietary interests in specific tests and the related reluctance to allow adaptations to the materials. However, progress has been made in forming partnerships to address these issues, particularly with Test Central, a department of the American Printing House for the Blind, a member of the Association of Test Publishers.

This project was initiated and spearheaded by Dr. Alette Coble-Temple and developed in collaboration with the APAGS's Committee on Students with Disabilities. Early in 2002, Carol Williams, APAGS staff liaison, along Anju Khubchandani, CDIP’s staff liaison, began to spearhead this project from the administrative end. Several drafts have been developed; however, at this point, CDIP’s work in the project has been completed.

During its March 2003 meeting, the Committee discussed and approved of a proposed activity to create suggestions for adapting empirically validated treatments (EVTs) to clients with disabilities. Dr. Greg Taliaferro, who proposed this activity, states that although there has been emphasis placed on the development and practice of EVTs, little has been written about how to modify these therapies for clients living with different disabilities (e.g., developmental disabilities, hearing impairments, etc.). CDIP believes that such assistance would be a valuable resource for clinicians and researchers.

Committee members continued to provide articles for the Division of Rehabilitation’s Newsletter, focused on the perspective of the person, or family member of a person, with disabilities. Over time, the focus has shifted in this direction from its initial focus, an update on Committee activities.

Dr. Alan Goldberg continued his participation in CDIP face-to-face and conference call meetings, as well as his efforts at facilitating communication between CDIP and Division 22.

CDIP members were the beneficiaries of a training in advocacy conducted by the Public Policy Office. This was followed by a “hill visit” by Committee members. All agreed that the training and materials presented would be helpful in future interactions with legislators and their staff, and would be shared with colleagues interested in making similar advocacy contacts.

Feedback was provided to a number of other APA groups, task forces and committees as they formulated documents relevant to persons with disabilities. This included those addressing early intervention, children’s mental health and harm reduction strategies for reducing HIV infection rates.

Efforts were made, with much assistance from Ms. Khubchandani, to establish linkages with disability issues-related groups within state psychological associations. One such linkage was established with Maryland’s group. Dr. Sara Palmer, Chair of the Committee on Disability Issues within the Maryland State Psychological Association met with the Committee during its Spring Meetings and future collaboration is likely between the two groups on issues of mutual interest.

Dr. Daniel Holland and I rotated off of the Committee at the end of 2003, as Dr. Taliafaro and Dr. Schultz joined. Dr. Rhoda Olkin has graciously agreed to assume the responsibility for Chairing the Committee. As always, Ms. Khubchandani’s expertise, assistance and support have been critical to the functioning of the Committee. Deborah Cotter (Public Policy Office) and Charlene DeLong (Administrative Coordinator) have also proved invaluable to the Committee’s progress toward its goals this year.