DD Health Project

This multi-year project focused on the points at which interactions between people with developmental disabilities and their healthcare providers break down. These points of failure often revolve around communication difficulties on the part of the person with DD, and on preconceptions held by healthcare professionals.

MDDC investigated several possible avenues of system change in order to smooth these points of disconnection. This project was led by an RN who developed materials and presentations for healthcare providers around working with the DD community, with a particular focus on understanding how pain can impact behaviors, as well as how to mitigate pain in someone with developmental disabilities. We also developed guides to working with DD patients suffering from dementia.

Alongside these materials, MDDC also partnered with the University of New England to produce a set of videos for students and medical professionals, to help them better understand people’s experiences with accessing healthcare and how practitioners can work to build trust in that relationship.

To find the written DD Health materials, Practitioners click here, and to Watch the videos, click here.