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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: People with disabilities

Neglected for Too Long: Dental Care for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Policy brief describing scarcity of dental care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, due to a shortage of properly trained dental care providers and exceptionally long distances many patients must travel to receive adequate care.
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Disability
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Public Transportation's Impact on Rural and Small Towns: A Vital Mobility Link
Presents a report on rural and small-town public transportation. Looks at specific groups of non-drivers that require some form of public transportation, as well as the different types of transit and the advantages they present to small, rural communities. Provides several case studies and discusses a number of myths about public transportation in rural areas.
Author(s): Todd Litman
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Public Transportation Association
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Developing Affordable and Accessible Community-Based Housing for Vulnerable Adults: Proceedings of a Workshop
Summarizes findings from a December 2016 public workshop focused on affordable and accessible housing for older adults and people with disabilities. Discusses barriers to providing this housing and design principles for making housing accessible. Identifies programs and policies to support accessible, community-based housing. Includes some information specific to rural areas.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Access to Care for Rural People with Disabilities Toolkit
Resources and best practices to help rural communities improve access to care for people with disabilities. Identifies program models and examples, and discusses implementation, evaluation, sustainability, and dissemination of program results.
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Animals Help People Heal in Rural Areas
Discusses the role of service and therapy animals in rural communities. Features service dogs of Hawaii, therapeutic riding horses of Wyoming, and a Florida skilled nursing facility with a therapy pig and tortoise.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Living Well with a Disability, a Self-Management Program
Discusses a self-management program intended to support healthy living among people with mobility impairments, and designed for compatibility with implementation in rural areas that may lack health promotion resources.
Author(s): Craig Ravesloot, Tom Seekins, Meg Traci, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 65(1), 61-67
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
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Rural Disabled Medicare Beneficiaries Spend More Out-of-Pocket Than Their Urban Counterparts
Analyzes differences in healthcare out-of-pocket spending, supplemental coverage, and spending by type of service between rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries. Also examines rural-urban differences for Medicare beneficiaries who qualify based on disability status.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Jennifer D. Lenardson, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Estimated Prevalence of Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities Following Questionnaire Changes in the 2014 National Health Interview Survey
Reports estimates on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and other development delay, after a change in the development delay questions in the National Health Interview Survey. Tables include data for metropolitan and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Benjamin Zablotsky, Lindsey I. Black, Matthew J. Maenner, Laura A. Schieve, Stephen J. Blumberg
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Disability and Poverty Rates among Rural Veterans Have Increased from 2008 to 2014
Bar chart showing the rates of disability and poverty for rural veterans compared to rural non-veterans, highlighting changes from 2008 to 2014.
Date: 11/2015
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Developing a Method for Assessing National Demand-Response Transit Level of Service
Results of a study based on survey data from 65 agencies in North Dakota and Florida, to determine appropriate levels of transportation coverage for older adults and people with disabilities in urban and rural areas in the U.S. Includes a mobility needs index identifying areas with the greatest need for services. Also, provides county-level maps of North Dakota and Florida displaying statistics showing existing level of service, frequency and type of service, and minimum advance reservation time. Provides a framework for identifying communities where improvements in service are needed.
Author(s): Ranjit Godavarthy, Jeremy Mattson, Patrick Nichols, Del Peterson, Jill Hough
Date: 10/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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