New England Regional Health Equity Profile & Call to Action

Good health is a foundation that allows people to participate in the most important aspects of life. The purpose of the New England Regional Health Equity Profile and Call to Action is to identify where differences in good health exist among racial, ethnic, and disability populations in New England as well as foster policy, programmatic, and individual action to combat health disparities and achieve health equity for racial, ethnic, disability and underserved populations in New England. The report was written by the members of the New England Regional Health Equity Council (RHEC), one of ten regional health equity councils formed by the Office of Minority Health at the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The mission of the New England RHEC is to achieve health equity for all through collective action in the New England region. The New England RHEC’s vision is to achieve health equity through cross-sector interaction and collaboration of activities and resources to optimize health for all where they live, learn, work, and play. The New England Regional Health Equity Profile and Call to Action uses a “social determinants of health” approach. A social determinants of health approach focuses on understanding how the intersection of the social and physical environments; individual behaviors; and access to education, income, healthy foods and health care, impacts a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes. The report examines the following topics: Socio-Economic Status, Healthy Eating and Physical Activity, Risky Behaviors, Cultural Competency in Health Care, Health Care Access, Health Outcomes, and the Intersection of Race/Ethnicity & Disability. It also includes a description of State Health Equity Activities and a Regional Call to Action

Negotiating equity in UK universities.

Description of the project The research involved six case studies of higher education institutions across England, Scotland and Wales. The project aims were:to explore staff experiences of equity issues and institutional equity policies. Participants were drawn from different occupational backgrounds and a variety of socio-cultural groups paying attention also to gender, sexual orientation, ‘race’/ethnicity, disability, age and religio to conduct a critical discourse analysis of equity policies in the six institution to gather the views of senior manager-academics and administrators on their institutional equality policies, and how these relate to national policie to identify challenges, inadequacies, examples of good practice, and constraints/incentives in relation to equity policies at institutional and sector level

Negotiating equity in UK universities.

Description of the project The research involved six case studies of higher education institutions across England, Scotland and Wales. The project aims were:to explore staff experiences of equity issues and institutional equity policies. Participants were drawn from different occupational backgrounds and a variety of socio-cultural groups paying attention also to gender, sexual orientation, ‘race’/ethnicity, disability, age and religio to conduct a critical discourse analysis of equity policies in the six institution to gather the views of senior manager-academics and administrators on their institutional equality policies, and how these relate to national policie to identify challenges, inadequacies, examples of good practice, and constraints/incentives in relation to equity policies at institutional and sector level

Australian Higher Education Equity Ranking Project: Final Report

This report details the findings of a feasibility study for the Department of Education and Training (DET) into the development of a higher education student equity ranking index. The purpose of study was to determine whether it was possible to measure higher education equity performance at the institutional level and convey each institution’s relative performance through an ‘equity rank’. The ranking was to be based on institutional performance in regard to equity-group students, including students from low socio-economic backgrounds; students from regional/remote areas of Australia; Indigenous students; students with disability; and students from non-English speaking backgrounds

Disadvantaged learners and VET to higher education transitions

This paper synthesises what is currently published on the access and participation of disadvantaged learners in higher-level vocational education and training (VET) qualifications and higher education, and their transitions from lower-level VET qualifications to higher-level VET and higher education. Introduction: The VET system provides opportunities for individuals to undertake training for employment-related reasons, to enable further study, or for personal interest and development. Vocational education and training also often provides an entry point to the education system for individuals who have experienced barriers to participation in education. When considering VET for those individuals belonging to one or more equity group, access and participation alone only tell part of the story. How students participate, and the outcomes they achieve, is also important. For many people in equity groups, lower-level qualifications (certificate levels I and II, for example) may provide an entry point to the VET system. While these qualifications might offer some personal benefits, such as improved self-esteem, the employment and further study outcomes for prime- and mature-aged students have been shown to be limited. There is a question about whether disadvantaged students are using those qualifications as a stepping stone to further study at higher levels. Graduates of higher-level VET qualifications are more likely to be employed after training and the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) considers a certificate III to be the minimum-level qualification for improving employment outcomes. This trend has been shown to hold true in those equity groups where it has been investigated; for example, Polidano and Mavromaras showed that the completion of a VET qualification at certificate III or above significantly improved the employment of people with a disability. In response to the Bradley Review, the federal government set an objective to increase participation in higher education for some equity groups, especially those from a low socioeconomic background. Transition from lower-level VET to higher-level VET qualifications and into higher education is one way of meeting government targets and increasing participation at those education levels more likely to lead to employment. The focus of this paper is to synthesise what is currently published on the access and participation of disadvantaged learners in higher-level VET qualifications and higher education, and their transitions from lower-level VET qualifications to higher-level VET and higher education. Where possible, the aim is to focus on the learners’ perspectives. The paper will consider a number of equity groups: Indigenous Australians, people with a disability, those from rural/remote locations, those with non-English speaking backgrounds, younger people and older people. It needs to be noted that these are not homogenous groups and individuals may experience multiple disadvantage

Mind the Gap! Advancing Data Equity to Improve Population Health Equity for People with Disabilities

The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS), Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disability (UCEDD), carries out a variety of education and research activities designed to improve the social and health equity of people with disabilities (PWD). CCIDS sought to examine the health equity of Maine’s population with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities (IDD/NDD) regarding Covid-19. However, we encountered a data gap. Therefore, we examined the drivers of data gaps for people with disabilities to make recommendations for improving their health equity by ensuring their representation in public health data, the evidence base for policymaking.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ccids_posters/1062/thumbnail.jp

Employability for inclusion: The urgent need for a biopsychosocial model perspective

Definitions of disability are changing, shifting from a narrow medical diagnosis to a biopsychosocial model of disability, where disability is conceptualised as a series of relational conditions that can potentially disadvantage individuals within environments. Implications of this new understanding of disability will have significant effects in the higher education sector, where there is increasing participation of disabled students. In this paper, we discuss one aspect of these implications through the topic of graduate employability. In doing so, we generate a new concept ‘Employability for Inclusion’ that can be utilised as an equity-focused lens for universities to consider how employability initiatives are inclusive to disabled and/or diverse students. To unpack this concept, we further illustrate how a biopsychosocial model of disability would impact key employability activities (e.g., work-integrated learning) and provide valuable insights into how the higher education sector can adopt emerging conceptualisations of disability and inclusion. © 2023 Association for Tertiary Education Management and the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education

Disability Services as Related to Higher Education Leadership: An Exploratory Study

Over the past three decades, the number of students with disabilities (SWD) attending postsecondary institutions has increased, yet their completion rates remain significantly lower than those of students without disabilities. This mixed methods exploratory study investigates the role of provost leadership in supporting disability services and understanding the needs of SWD in higher education. The study focuses on Texas higher education institutions, examining the relationships between provosts and directors of disability services. Data collected through the e-survey with open-ended questions primarily came from directors of disability services. Quantitative analysis of Likert scale items explored domains such as leadership, collaboration, consultation, information dissemination, access, equity, office administration, operations, and professional development. Qualitative analysis provided more profound insights into organizational structures, institutional characteristics, and the collaborative dynamics between provosts and disability services directors. The findings reveal diverse perceptions and approaches regarding the alignment of disability services with institutional missions and the effectiveness of collaboration in promoting accessibility and equity for SWD. The study highlights the importance of communication, collaboration, and alignment with institutional goals to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment on college campuses

An historical ethnography of the enactment of Rawl’s Theory of Justice as applied to the education of learners with disability in Western Australia

The education of students with disability has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. Universal declarations and conventions have underpinned many of these changes at both an international level and within Australia. In the early 1970s, the philosophy of John Rawls provided a theory of justice to preserve social justice and individual liberty within communities. This mirrored attempts to advance education to ensure social justice, rights and access to education for learners with disability. This micro-historical ethnography provides a review spanning the past half century in Australia of changes to the education of students with disability. Underpinned by an ethnographic epistemology through interviews with the presentism of eight educators involved in Western Australian education for learners with disability, and viewed through an interpretivist lens, major elements of change are identified. An analytical framework deduced from the work of Rawls is used to reflect upon the changes and discuss the degree that Rawls’ justice as fairness has been enacted in education for learners with disability from 1970 to 2021 in Australia. Key words: Australia, learners with disability, special education, inclusion, Rawls, equity, social justice

Considering Bias Through the Mirror/ Window of Art and Literature

Although narrative medicine has become an established tool in teaching reflection, empathy, among other critical skills in medical education, its use in promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion has not yet been thoroughly explored. Educators in narrative medicine in a medical school setting reflect upon creating and implementing a curriculum that highlights voices of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and persons living with disability. Narrative tools to promote self-reflection and examination of personal biases are explored and considered as a method of fulfilling our collective call to action for increased equity in medical education