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.
Greg Taliaferro, Ph.D.
Dr. Olkin and Dr. Coble-Temple rotated off CDIP at the end of 2004. The Chair thanks all of the CDIP members, as well as the staff liaison, Anju Khubchandani, who have contributed their time and energy to such an important committee.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
In conjunction with the APA Consolidated Meetings, CDIP held its two meetings on March 26-28 and October 1-3, 2004. Committee members made great efforts to remain in regular communication via electronic mail and telephone throughout the year.
COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
CDIP activities in 2004 addressed each of the goals in its Mission Statement:
Promote the psychological welfare of people with disabilities.
1. The Committee met with staff of APA's Public Interest Public Policy office to discuss current advocacy efforts and policy issues affecting people with disabilities. CDIP will utilize legislative issues/information to inform agenda items, activities, and priorities at future meetings.
2. The APA Public Interest Advocacy Goals for 2004 were distributed and reviewed by CDIP who approved the document with the addition of hand-gun control as a stated goal.
3. The Committee met with Ellen Garrison, PhD, director of the Public Policy Office, who introduced the Coordinated Advocacy Campaign launched by her office and requested the Committee's participation. This campaign would facilitate the meeting of CDIP members with their respective state legislators to garner their support for disability-related legislation. The Committee agreed to participate beginning in 2005.
4. Committee member, Greg Taliaferro, PhD, co-authored an article on the maltreatment of children with disabilities drawing attention to the issue and to the APA resolution on this topic. The Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect has accepted the article for publication.
5. CDIP met with the APA Committee on Aging twice to discuss issues of mutual interest on aging and people with disabilities, and wrote follow up memo (10/20/04).
6. CDIP met with two staff persons of the Department of Labor's Office on Disability Employment Policy regarding issues of mutual interest. This meeting led to a joint proposal for the 2005 APA annual convention.
7. CDIP routinely provides feedback and comments to items brought forth by other committees and boards to ensure that they are informed by disability research and that the impact of proposed policies upon people with disabilities is considered. In 2004, comments were submitted to the following items: the Draft Report of the Children and Adolescents Task Force of the Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues; Socioeconomic Status, Poverty, and People with Disabilities; APA Proposed Resolution on Culture and Gender Awareness in International Psychology; and, Infusing the Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists.
Promote the development and implementation of psychological service delivery models responsive to the needs of people with disabilities.
1. CDIP's newest project, best practices in professional training, research, and services to persons with disabilities, aims to provide guidance to psychologists involved in the research of, training of, and service delivery to people with disabilities. Major content areas to be developed have been identified: assessment/diagnosis, treatment/intervention, education/training and research. Committee members have begun conducting literature reviews of the assessment and treatment topic areas.
Promote the awareness of disability issues in psychological research as well as specific research activity in disability areas.
1. CDIP member, Greg Taliaferro, PhD, wrote and submitted a paper examining empirically supported treatments and interventions with persons with disabilities.
2. Two members, Rhoda Olkin, PhD and Greg Taliaferro, PhD, contributed a section on people with disabilities to a chapter in an APA book on empirically validated treatments.
3. Three members wrote articles for publication in the Division 22 rehabilitation newsletter: Psychologists Working With Patients Who Have Physical Health Problems Can Benefit from Using the New CPT Health and Behavior Codes (Cheryl Shigaki, PhD); Psychological Work Capacity Evaluation in Rehabilitation: Are We Already There? (Izabela Schultz, PhD); and Students with Severe Physical Disabilities: The Necessity of Having Good Interpersonal Skills for Management of Attendants to Reduce Dropout Rates in College (John Chang, PhD).
4. The Chair gave an Invited Address at Division 22's annual mid-winter convention (Accessible Research with Parents with Disabilities).
Promote inclusion of knowledge about disabilities and disability issues in education, training programs, and professional development of psychologists.
1. The Committee submitted a Continuing Education workshop proposal for the APA 2005 convention that would address ethical issues and disability. Its purpose is to provide information and guidance to psychologists to develop cultural competence and ethical assessment and practices with regard to clients with disabilities.
2. Committee member, Izabela Schultz, PhD and Nathan Ainspan, PhD, of the Department of Labor, submitted a symposium proposal for the APA 2005 convention addressing the employment of people with disabilities.
3. The Chair wrote an article for Division 22 newsletter on Attracting More Psychologists with Disabilities to Division 22. The article was reprinted in two more professional newsletters DisAbility Forum section newsletter, American Public Health Association, and The Community Psychologist (APA Division 27).
4. Among the many barriers to training in psychology faced by students with disabilities is access to testing and assessment materials. This barrier is encountered at doctoral and postdoctoral internship sites and in Accessibility of test instruments for psychologists with disabilities. Towards this goal CDIP:
