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Semi Annual Report to the Council of Representatives
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February 2008 – August 2008
The primary mission of the Disability Issues Office is to work toward the elimination of bias against and the promotion of equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in psychology education and training, research, and professional practice. The office serves as an information and referral resource on disability issues; develops and disseminates reports and other written materials on professional and consumer issues; and promotes the development and application of psychological knowledge to address public policy issues concerning people with disabilities.
Barriers to Students Project
Earlier this year, the APA Office on Disability Issues conducted an online survey to gather information on the challenges facing students with disabilities in psychology programs. Survey questions broached numerous topics including disclosure issues, perceived disability awareness among faculty, and access and accommodations. A total of 99 responses were collected. Survey data has been analyzed and coded, and the final report is being developed with its completion anticipated by early fall.
APA Task Force on Guidelines for Assessment and Treatment of Persons with Disabilities
Established in 2006, the major charge of this task force is to develop a set of guidelines on assessment and treatment involving persons with disabilities. The task force was funded again in 2007 and held two meetings, once in June and again in November. During the first half of 2008, the Task Force completed its revision of the document in preparation for submission for further review within the APA. The document has since been forwarded to BPA, and COPPS is performing a preliminary review to be completed by the end of July.
Mentoring Program
The office oversees and provides functional support to its on-line Disability Mentoring Program. Launched in 2002, the program currently supports 78 psychology students with disabilities by providing them with a mentor who has a similar disability. Mentors are APA-member psychologists with disabilities. The mentoring database revised has been updated to include enhanced reporting features, improved mentor-mentee matching capabilities, and compliance with Section 508. It is expected to be re-launched at this year’s convention.
Disability Issues in APA Legislative Efforts
- The Office worked in collaboration with the Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology (CDIP) and the Public Interest Government Relations Office to identify and implement advocacy goals related to disability issues.
- The Office remains involved with the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) to advocate for national public policy that ensures the self determination, integration and inclusion of children and adults with physical as well as mental disabilities. Office Director, Anju Khubchandani, serves on the coalition’s Rights, Prevention, and International task forces. Major task force activities include the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act which would reverse Supreme Court rulings that have created a Catch-22 for people with mental or physical disabilities who are discriminated against because of their disabilities, but are then told that they are not sufficiently disabled for protection under the ADA.
- Office Director, Anju Khubchandani serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter of the American Bar Association, and attends regularly scheduled board meetings in that capacity.
Outreach, Education, and Resources
- The Office is developing a theme-based newsletter, Spotlight on Disability, created to raise visibility of disability issues, to increase the understanding of applying psychology to disability, and to provide a forum by which psychologists can share their findings and research. In addition to article submissions from APA member psychologists, Office Director, Anju Khubchandani, authored two articles. This inaugural issue will be made available at convention.
Convention Activities
- Sessions on Disability Issues is prepared by the Office annually prior to Convention in order to increase visibility of disability issues in psychology and promote opportunities for psychologists to increase their awareness and knowledge of issues related to disability.
- CDIP is cosponsoring “Best Practices of Integrated Care: Opportunities and Challenges” which will highlight models of integrated care across social status, disability status, age, multicultural representation and chronic disease.
- CDIP is hosting a Conversation Hour this year for a discussion on Education and Training of Psychologists working with People with Disabilities. Bill Stiers, PhD, Division 22 President will be this year’s guest speaker.
- For the 4th straight year, past and current CDIP members will join efforts to offer the Continuing Education workshop, Ethical Practice Issues and Persons with Disabilities.
- The Office provides continuous staff support to the Disability Resource Room during each year’s convention. The resource room offers the following services:
- Loaner wheelchairs and canes
- Sign language interpreters
- Volunteers
- Program on diskette
- Computer equipped with vocalization software
- Van service, equipped with a wheelchair lift
- Disability-related information and other written materials
For additional information, you may visit http://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resource_room.html or contact Sara Laney.
Governance Support
The Office on Disability Issues provides continuous staff support to APA’s Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology (CDIP). Current priorities of the Committee include:
- Developing disability-related information and content for introductory psychology courses at the community college and high school levels
- Increasing the visibility of disability issues within the APA
- Developing graduate training competencies on disability
- Surveying psychology training needs to better serve minority populations
- Developing articles for submission to APA’s Journal on Training and Education in Professional Psychology
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