Ability360 seeks to improve services for new and growing Arizona families
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
In order to improve and expand services for individuals with disabilities, Ability360 — along with a coalition of disability service organizations — is seeking responses across Arizona to a survey addressing needed programs and resources to support families during pregnancy and parenting.
Officials there say they would like people who have been pregnant, are pregnant or parenting to complete the survey.
“One challenge parents with disabilities face is finding a network of programs and information that can help them meet their needs and the needs of their children,” says Ability360 President and CEO Christopher Rodriguez, in a prepared statement.
“We’ve seen gaps in resources and rejections from insurance companies for adaptive equipment and technology, but we’ve also found that even when there is assistance, that information isn’t always readily available.”
According to the National Council on Disability, there are more than 4 million parents with disabilities in the United States, with 1 in 10 children having at least one parent with a disability.
The idea for the project started with family physician and mother Dr. Vicki Copeland.
Dr. Copeland is raising three boys with disabilities, and through her practice, she has become increasingly aware of the lack of equitable health care and resources for mothers-to-be who have a disability.
People with disabilities who want to become pregnant or be a parent are invited to take the survey by April 30, 2023, by going HERE
The survey is the first step toward addressing those disparities and meeting those needs, growing into a collaborative effort between Ability360, Raising Special Kids, March of Dimes, Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association, and the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities.
