Category: Health Inequities

Blue background with white text: Millions of people in the Deaf community will now have access to the crucial support available through the 988 lifeline, said Allison Barkoff, The Principal Deputy Administrator for the US Administration on Community Living; thus making the 988 hotline more accessible.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Adds American Sign Language

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By Tracy Waller, Esq., MPH

On September 8, 2023, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, added nationwide American Sign Language (ASL) services in an effort to make suicide prevention more accessible. In 2020, as directed by Congress through the enacted budget for Fiscal Year 2021, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), launched the 988 dialing code through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The creation of 988 expanded access for people experiencing mental health crisis through an easily remembered three-digit number. 

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Text: New Blog Post. "Time Lost to Disability Management is a Health Inequity.' by Annie Carver, Esq. Image of a clock with thousands of little clocks coming out of it. The National Center for Disability, Equity, and Intersectionality logo

Time Lost to Disability Management is a Health Inequity 

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by: Annie Carver, Esq. 

“Health inequities are difference in health status or the distribution of health resources between different populations or groups arising from the social condition in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.” There are many health inequities that are associated with disability – caused by stigma, discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and other barriers within the healthcare system. One health inequity that is rarely named for people with disabilities is lost time, or the time cost associated with being disabled. There is a time cost associated with navigating welfare and healthcare systems, coordinating medical care, and managing personal care and symptoms. On top of that, public inaccessibility and legal barriers isolate disabled people from their greater community; therefore, disabled people often have to navigate the complicated coordination of their care without the support system that many non-disabled people enjoy. These time barriers also tend to disproportionately impact those with multiply marginalized identities, particularly people of color and queer people. 

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