Thanks to a $4.3 million
grant and the tenacity of a few
professors, students and future
students with physical disabilities
might be able to live a little more
comfortably.
In October, a new research
center at the University of
Michigan will begin investigating
how to improve aging for those
facing
long-term
physical
disabilities.
The idea for the new research
center was spearheaded by a team
of investigators: Michelle Meade,
an associate professor of physical
medicine
and
rehabilitation
psychology;
Philippa
Clarke,
a professor of epidemiology;
and
Robyn
Rontal,
policy
analytics director at the Center
for Healthcare Research and
Transformation.
Clarke said a new research
center is necessary to help
design a world more accessible
to individuals with physical
disabilities.
“What’s happened essentially
is that people who have had
disabilities in the past, typically
never lived long enough to be
old or to age,” Clarke said. “But
with all the improvements in
technology and medical care,
there is a wonderful thing
that is happening: People with
disabilities are now growing
older. However the services and
support that we have set up for
older adults have never really
been targeted or able to meet
the needs of this new group of
clients who have been living with
physical disabilities.”
Meade, the lead investigator
for the research center, believes
the center could perhaps ease
those complexities.
“Individuals with disabilities
are more likely to have other
health
conditions,
such
as
diabetes,
depression,”
Maede
said. “They are more likely have
had days where they are not
feeling well, and less likely to
have access to care, and more
likely to report problems with
the care they have. So we put all
these pieces together, working
among these departments really
provides us with the opportunity
to develop a solution that could be
used here and across the United
States.”
According
to
a
National
Center for Education Statistics
report, students with physical
disabilities in 2011 and 2012
accounted for 11.1 percent of
all
undergraduates
enrolled
nationwide. The 2016 Campus
Climate Survey says 5 percent of
students at the University report
having a disability.
The
University
offers resources for students with
physical
disabilities.
Students
who are deaf, hard of hearing or
have temporary or permanent
motoric disabilities are eligible
to receive accomodations in
their classes. These can include
notetaking, video captioning and
real-time transcription services.
However, these resources are
often difficult to access or even
inadequate. Last year, then-
Architechture graduate student
Mieko Preston told The Daily that
it was an uphill battle to register
for disability accomodations with
the University. She experienced a
stroke several years ago and now
uses a medical scooter.
“The accessibility of being
able
to
benefit
from
those
accommodations or resources
that are necessarily put in place
is actually extremely difficult,”
she said.
Meade and her colleagues
requested
funding
from
the
National
Institute
on
Disability, Independent Living
and
Rehabilitation
Research
to establish a Rehabilitation
Research and Training Center
program at the University. The
center will conduct research, offer
hands-on training and spreads
awareness
and
information
around rehabilitation efforts.
These
University
studies,
called
the
the
Investigating
Disability Factors and Promoting
Environmental
Access
for
Healthy Living RRTC, or IDEAL,
will look specifically at the
effects that both personal and
environmental factors have on
people with physical disabilities
and how that, in turn, affects the
aging process.
Meade also hopes this center
will serve as a national resource
center for policy makers, and all
types of disability organizations,
thus helping distribute the new
knowledge breed at the U-M
research center.
“One of the projects run by Dr.
Michael McKee is about creating
a model clinic for family medicine
for individuals with disabilities,”
Meade said. “Once again, we
want to develop the best practice
and then we want to share them.
Hopefully, by doing this, we will
be changing the way that we do
clinical practice, they way that we
provide services, and make sure
things are relevant for people
with physical disabilities.”
Meade said this center will help
people nationally and hopefully
make its way onto campus.
“Students are in the need
of also accessing care, such as
getting into the recreational
facilities or accessing courses and
lectures with those with hearing
impairments,” Clarke said. “We
are trying to understand how
we structure our campus with
simple things like examining how
many stairs we have.”
Engineering sophomore Ellie
Rocheleau said she believes the
research center will provide
new opportunities and a sense of
optimism for those dealing with
long-term physical disabilities.
“Someone I know is affected
by ulcerated colitis, which is the
swelling of the colon that leads
to stomach aches and other
intestinal
issues,”
Rocheleau
said. “This is usually linked with
severe arthritis, which in turn,
leads to being unable to drive,
walk, or even stand. Not only does
this also affect him physically; it
has led to a great deal of anxiety
to try to figure out how to live his
day to day— because even when
he has good days, it is still an
ongoing battle. It is hard enough
to be able to deal with the one
initial illness; if there was some
new technology or medicine that
could make living just a little
easier, I think that would make
all the difference.”
WOLVE RINE OF THE WE E K
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THURSDAY:
Twitter Talk
Charlie White
@CharlieaWhite
Back on campus for my first
class at @UMich in a while.
It really doesn’t matter that
I’ve seen the birth of my child
or won the Olympics, I’m still
nervous! Go Blue!
Neil
@braincelltwo
Gonna fight the girl in my
orientation who said “OMG I see
you have a hickey”... okay yes I
have one what do YOU have other
than a lack of personality and a
foundation shade 13 shades lighter
than your skin, SAMANTHA?
Gabriel
@dagabesta
just had the absolute worst
cup of coffee and it ruined
my whole day, thanks umich
Austin McCoy
@AustinMcCoy3
Good luck to you all at @
UMich on y’all’s first day of
the school year! Feels weird
not being there with y’all!
Alayna
@alaynanugent
Syllabus week? More like
syllabus second at umich
lmao how am I already neck-
deep in work
Rachelle
@rachelle_wendt
umich getting rid of michigan
time will 100% be the death
of me
Every Thursday, The Michigan
Daily will feature a member of
the campus community.
“So this year is my
sophomore year, I think
it’s a lot about just
expanding what I know
since last year was more
about discovering what I
like. This year I just want
to delve into everything
I decided I enjoyed last
year, and make a focus,
primarily within my
culture, learning more
about that through
ASA and other student
organizations, after that
I’m also a student and
pre-med so I want to
expand my network in
that sense.
Naveen Fawaz, LSA sophomore
New research center foucses on aging
for patients with long-term disabilities
$4.3 million grant funds studies on intersectional issues of mental health, impairment
SAMANTHA SMALL
Daily Staff Reporter