November 2010 Minutes

American Public Health Association

Disability Section Minutes

Monthly Meeting

Conference Call

November 4, 2010

Council members present: Anthony Cahill (Accessibility Co-Chair), Roberta S. Carlin (Communications Chair), H. Stephen Kaye (Program Chair), Gloria Krahn (Governing Council Representative), James H. Rimmer (Past Chair/Elections Chair), Jennifer Rowland (Awards Chair), Meg Ann Traci (Secretary), and Kiyoshi Yamaki (Program Chair-Elect).

Council members not present: Vince Campbell (Policy Chair), Charles Drum (Governing Council Representative), Stephen French Gilson (Chair), Catherine Leigh Graham (Accessibility Co-Chair), Willi Horner-Johnson (Treasurer), George Jesien (Membership Chair), Jana Petersen (Student Liaison Faculty Supervisor), and Anjali Truitt (Student Liaison).

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Opening: Past-chair Jim Rimmer served as chair in Stephen Gilson’s absence. Jim opened the conference call meeting at 12:03 p.m. (EST) prompting roll call.

Minutes: The minutes from the September meeting were reviewed and approved with corrections (mover and seconder -- Steve Kay and Roberta Carlin, respectively).

Program, Steve Kaye

Steve reported that the Program is set. There was one poster cancellation and no other concerns.  Steve and Roberta distributed the program.  Meg will bring alternative formats of the Program to the APHA Annual Meetings in Denver.

Chair’s Forum, Stephen Gilson

Jennifer will bring:

1)     Two large form core posters with photos and brief biographies of the 2010 Disability Section Award winners;

2)     Programs for the award ceremonies containing descriptions of the awards with award recipients’ brief biographies;

3)     Award recipients’ speeches as available;

4)     15 copies of the award materials in large print format;

5)     The new digital camera to document events (e.g., 2010 awardees) for newsletters, website, and the Disability Section’s historical record.

Awards are being shipped to Denver. Jennifer credited Dot Nary for coordinating the awards production with the trophy manufacturer with whom the Disability Section has a contract.

Jennifer prompted discussion of the length of award winners’ speeches. Traditionally, award winners have been asked to prepare a short speech of no more than 10 minutes. Jennifer relayed this to the 2010 award recipients. However, this year 25 minutes of partner updates will lengthen the program considerably. So it was suggested that Jennifer ask the student and new investigator award recipients to limit their comments to five minutes if possible. 

Chair’s Forum, Stephen Gilson

[Emailed by Roberta Carlin, 10/28/2010 at 3:35PM]

APHA Disability Section Members:

The Chair’s Forum will be convening on Sunday, November 7th from 2:00pm-4:30pm in Room 201 of the Colorado Convention Center.  The theme for the 2010 Disability Section Chair’s Forum: the role of disability policy in forging civil and social justice change; the strengths and weakness of specialized rights legislation; and an examination of the alternatives to legislating equality, provides us with an exciting opportunity to examine policy issues and matters that are of particular interest and importance to the members of the Disability Section, and to APHA.  Please come prepared to engage in a lively discussion.

The following presentations were selected for the panel presentation at the Chair’s Forum:

Vincent A. Campbell - “Improving the health of people with disabilities through inclusion in broad public health interventions”

Dennis Heaphy  & Monika Mitra – “Health Inequities and Disability: Addressing an Injustice through Advocacy and Research”

Linda M. Long-Bellil, Graham, C.L., Robey, K.L., Smeltzer, S.C., Woodard, L., & Reiss, J.G. – “Access to Medical Care and the Americans with Disabilities Act: Educating Health Professionals as a Force for Culture Change”

Heather A. McCabe – “Health Reform and Advocacy: Critical Issues for Persons with Disabilities”

See you in Denver!

APHA Disability Section Communications Committee

Accessibility, Catherine Graham and Tony Cahill

Tony reported that Catherine is conducting the training with hotel staff on Friday as planned. He also mentioned that after the close of the APHA Annual Meetings that he and Catherine would like to re-visit the Disability Section’s role with APHA in ensuring accessibility of APHA publications, programs, policies, and events to people with disabilities.  

Jim provided a historical overview of the steps the Disability Section has supported APHA to take toward inclusionary practices regarding persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. He traced the history back to the meeting in Washington, D.C. to the upcoming meetings in Denver, at which APHA seems ready to implement best practices regarding availability of interpreter services. He cited Steve Barnett as a driving force in the progress made within the organization. Jim mentioned that he facilitated direct communications between APHA staff and Steve and then was able to exit the discussions. Jim has extended an invitation to Steve to provide a written or verbal report on the progress he sees and what may still need to be done.

Governing Council

[Emailed by Gloria Krahn, 11/4/2010 at 3:50PM]

The ones that might raise personal concerns for people are:

A4—protection of abortion coverage under federal programs—pressing for reversal of restrictions on payment for abortions.

B6—Occupational Injury…Prevention through Design—calls for discontinuation of the production of solid nuclear waste—might have implications for research/energy development that I’m not familiar with.

D2—Sustainability of state and local health departments—all sounds good, but first recommendation is for “development of a national public health financial accounting and reporting system” (p D2-12)—…

Several policies specifically and appropriately acknowledge disability populations—kudos to them:

C2—fluoride varnish—acknowledging some vulnerable populations more likely to experience tooth decay

C6—child health policy—calls for establishing a broad agenda, and acknowledges needs of children with special health care needs.

Two policies specifically and acknowledged disability

C2 Oral health and fluoride varnish, recognizing persons with disabilities at higher risk

C6 Calling for child health acknowledging health

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Regarding upcoming APHA elections to be held at the 2010 APHA Annual Meetings in Denver, there were two Disability Section Executive Council votes.

1)     For the presidential election, councilors unanimously empowered Gloria Krahn and Charles Drum as the Disability Section Governing Council Representatives to cast what votes the Section may have for Jose’ Cordero, the first director of CDC’s NCBDDD.   

2)     Councilors empowered Gloria and Charles to review the six candidates running for three APHA positions and to vote based on their reviews of those candidates.

Communications, Roberta Carlin

Roberta mentioned that the quarterly newsletters are on schedule. Steve Kaye (and maybe others) has not been receiving updates through the listserv so Roberta is going to review them, which she receives from AUCD.  Roberta also is working with APHA to correct an incorrect link to the 2010 Disability Section Program at the APHA Annual Meetings The most recent issue of the Disability and Health Journal focuses on the 20^th Anniversary of the Americans With Disability Act.

Meg will email a set of annual minutes to councilors for the annual in-person meeting of the Disability Section Executive Council and will be sure Roberta gets the archived minutes to re-post to the APHA website.

Elections

Jim mentioned that there will be four to five positions open next year (appendix).  He has not spoken to anyone about continuing their position or to anyone he would like to recruit to the Council.  Jim underscored the importance of recruiting new councilors and building the capacity of the section to develop the capacity of section members to serve elsewhere within APHA.

Other

Closing:

Jim Rimmer closed the meeting at 1:00 p.m. (EST). The next Disability Section Council meeting will be held in Denver in Room 107 of the Colorado Convention Center, 9:30-12:00PM. Minutes submitted by Secretary Meg Traci.

APHA Disability Section Positions

November 1, 2010