How to Include People with Disability in Nutrition Services and Programming

Are your nutrition services inclusive of people with disability? One in four adults in the US live with a disability (e.g., sensory, mobility, intellectual). Disability crosses all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic levels and is especially common in adults 65 years and older, women, and people of color.

Individuals with disabilities are two to three times more likely to have preventable diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes, heart disease). Furthermore, people with disability are at higher risk for food insecurity. Nutrition professionals need to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all people, including those with disabilities, to address nutrition-related conditions effectively and confidently.

Two speakers from the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability explain the "Guidelines, Recommendations, Adaptations, Including Disability" adaptation framework. They will introduce barriers to inclusion for people with disabilities, summarize effective communication and inclusive teaching strategies, identify accessible clinic spaces, examine adapted cooking and gardening utensils and tools, describe kitchen accessibility, and detail rights to nutrition services and programming. An RDN with a disability who is also a high-performance athlete will provide practical applications.

CPE Level: Level 2 (intermediate knowledge/experience)
CPEU: 1.5

Performance Indicators

• 1.7.6 Applies knowledge of health determinants when planning, developing and implementing services, programs, interventions, meal plans and menus.
• 1.7.2 Recognizes the importance of diversity, orientation, social and cultural norms that may have an impact on individuals, groups and plans of care.
• 9.4.3 Adjusts teaching plans and delivery to meet the needs of specified individuals, groups and populations

Learning Objectives

• Differentiate language and teaching strategies to create a welcoming and professional nutrition interaction that is inclusive of people with disabilities
• Contrast five domains of the "Guidelines, Recommendations, Adaptations, Including Disability" adaptation framework and apply each as they relate to nutrition programming, community, or clinical settings
• Devise at least 3 strategies to address barriers to inclusion for people with disabilities within the RD workspace and solutions for each

Moderator

• Lacey Gammon

Speakers

• Rebecca Cline
• Liz Dunn