The Access Equity Model: An Action-Oriented Framework to Address Health and Participation Disparities Among People with Disabilities

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act enshrined legal protection from discrimination based on disability status into federal law. Yet, despite progress made from 35 years of civil rights protection, the 74 million people living in the United States with disabilities continue to experience significant barriers to social participation in all aspects of society as full and equal members. Notably, people with disabilities, especially those living at the intersection of other minoritized identities based on race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and economic status, are disproportionately impacted by the adverse effects of social determinants of health, leading to health and participation inequities.

To support the development of evidence-informed interventions and public policies to break down barriers to health and participation experienced by people with disabilities, a community-based participatory research team of disability rights advocates and disability scholars developed the Access Equity Model. Grounded in aggregated data from four qualitative studies with cross-disability samples (n=159), the Access Equity Model emphasizes modifiable barriers and supports at the individual and environmental levels as entry points for intervention, as well as measurable outcomes, grounded in the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.

This presentation will include exemplars of the application of the Access Equity Model across a range of contexts and demonstrate its utility in addressing the complex health and participation inequities that confront people with disabilities in the Anthropocene.