Kimberly Taylor, Joel Irizarry & Kris Balfanz-Vertiz Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Chicago, IL

1. Confronting Multiple Oppressions:Examining the Needs of People with Disabilities who are of Hispanic / Latino descent Kimberly Taylor, Joel Irizarry & Kris Balfanz-Vertiz Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Chicago, IL Funded by Hollister, Inc.

2. Study Setting • Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital • Extended Services Department • Centro de Vida Independiente

3. PWD are among the poorest & most stigmatized people in the world • Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. • 24.0% of working-age Hispanics have a disability; compare to 18.6% in Caucasians

4. Health disparities are seen in many areas including vaccinations, insurance coverage, some types of cancer, HIV, hepatitis, diabetes, & TB. • Neither health nor social services have increased at same rate as need. • Employment is associated with increased life satisfaction and Quality of Life (QOL) scores.

5. Schwab’s Needs Assessment

6. Primary Domains Studied • Demographics • Employment • Education • Housing • Benefits & Social Services • Transportation • Health & Medical

7. Demographics

8. Demographics

9. Demographics

10. Demographics

11. Demographics

12. How did participant acquire disability?

13. Demographics (Survey)

14. Results:Employment & Education

15. Employment: Pre/Post Injury(Survey)

16. Employment (Survey) For those who are working, what is the best part of having a job and/or working? • 29% Getting a paycheck; supporting family and/or myself • 29% Helping others • 14% Meeting new people

17. Employment (Interview) • Of the 8 interviewees who currently have a job, 7 stated that they got the interview because of contacts at a rehab hospital. • 3 stated that having a disability was an advantage for their job, because they work at a rehab hospital or as a medical supply vendor.

18. Employment (Interview) Why are you not working? • 25% said they were discriminated against, because employers think they cannot work, due to having a disabiity • 25% said it was because of their legal status. • 17% said it was because they have a pressure sore that needs to heal first.

19. Employment (Survey)

20. Employment (Survey) Top 5 Obstacles to Working • Health Status / Disability (56%) • Lack of Job Opportunities (34%) • Transportation (30%) • Lack of Knowledge about Opportunities (30%) • Inability to leave house independently, due to inaccessibility (16%)

21. Education (Survey) • 45% of participants dropped out before entering the 9th grade. • 37% graduated high school. • 18% have some post-secondary education. • 5% graduated college.

22. Education (Survey)

23. Education (Interview)

24. Employment Health status / disability (56%) Lack of job opportunities (34%) Transportation (30%) Lack of knowledge about opportunities (30%) Inability to leave house independently, due to inaccessibility (16%) Education Health status / disability (37%) Transportation (27%) Lack of knowledge about opportunities (25%) Inability to leave house independently, due to inaccessibility (16%) Family obligations (15%) Top 5 Obstacles to Education & Employment (Survey)

25. Housing (survey)

26. Housing (survey)

27. Social Services (Survey)

28. Social Services (Survey)

29. Social Services: DRS (interview) 65% of interviewees had spoken to DRS & 60% had opened cases.

30. Social Services: DRS (interview) Comments: • One person who only spoke Spanish at the time of his DRS interview was interviewed in English. • Everyone who has been to a DRS office says it was accessible. • Of those who gave a judgment of their experience: • 38% said good overall • 31% said okay • 31% said it was bad • 23% stated staff was rude or ignored them. • 38% stated that, at least with some staff, it takes too long to get services.

31. Transportation (Survey) Average Number of Days per Week Participants Leave Home

32. Transportation (Interview)

33. Transportation (Survey) How satisfied are you with your ability to leave home?

34. Transportation (Survey)

35. Transportation (Interview)

36. Medical (Survey)

37. Medical (Survey)

38. Medical (survey)

39. Medical (interview) 80% of interviewees stated that they had experienced health care issues that were obstacles to other parts of their life. • 25% had UTIs. (“You can continue with your life.) • 20% had pressure sores. (“I couldn’t leave home;” “I had to withdraw from school.”) • Other issues included broken limbs (“It’s hard to get around in a manual chair with a broken arm”); obesity due to lack of exercise, and difficulty breathing.

40. Summary Many of these issues complicate other ones: • Inaccessible home: can’t go to work or school • Unemployed: limited insurance & finances to take care of health • Health issues: can’t leave home to access social services to gain new transportation options, learn about benefits, or attend school

41. Now what??? Why do you choose to use certain services? (interview) • Comfort – Building is accessible & I feel socially accepted there. • Location - It’s conveniently located somewhere where I need to go for other reasons (e.g., school, hospital). • Quality - The services are good; I get what I need. • Cost - It’s free.

42. What can we do to make your disability / healthcare status less of an obstacle?

43. How can we share info?

44. How can we share info?

45. QUESTIONS???

46. Discussion How could your program better meet the needs of Hispanic individuals with disabilities? How does what you’ve seen here today impact your daily work?

47. For more information, please contact: Kimberly Taylor Manager of Program Development, Evaluation & Research 773-522-2010, ext. 5176 taykim@sinai.org Joel Irizarry Disability Resource Coordinator 773-522-5863 irij@sinai.org