[HealthyTribes] Increasing access to physical activity for people with disabilities - Umatilla featured

[Gramp Heather]

Good afternoon -

As part of media releases this week celebrating the anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the CDC posted some success stories on their web site for the project Reaching People with Disabilities through Healthy Communities<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F10WJigRDY0>. Kudos to the folks in Pendleton and Umatilla County who are doing great work to increase physical activity for everyone, including people with disabilities. Umatilla County Public Health is also a Plan4Health grant recipient, working with American Public Health Association and American Planning Association to address health through the built environment. Here is an excerpt of CDC's web page on this:
Building Healthy Inclusive Communities

[Man in an electric wheelchair strolling in a park with a friend]Creating opportunities for healthy, active living by people of all abilities is a priority as we plan our communities.

Since passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)<https://www.ada.gov/> 27 years ago, communities have become more inclusive<https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability-inclusion.html> and people with disabilities have better access to buildings, transportation, and employment. However, there is still work to be done, and we all play a role in creating communities where everybody can thrive.

One in five adults in the United States have some type of disability, and many people will experience a disability during their lifetimes. A disability is any condition of the body or mind that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities and interact with the surrounding world. However, the way our cities are built and how we provide access to the places where people live, work, learn, and play can either strongly encourage or serve as a major barrier for people with disabilities to participate and be included in community life.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with its partner, the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD),<http://www.chronicdisease.org/> on a project called Reaching People with Disabilities through Healthy Communities<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F10WJigRDY0>. Through this project, five states and 10 local communities are working together to build healthy communities specifically designed to include people with disabilities and make sure they have opportunities for healthy eating, physical activity, and social participation.

Mobility device-charging stations in Umatilla County, Oregon

Approximately one in seven community members in Pendleton, Oregon are living with a disability and many of them rely on power wheelchairs and other mobility devices to get around and actively participate in their communities.  However, all these devices run out of power after a certain period of time and when the battery dies, users can get stuck. Community Coach Darrin Umbarger, participant in NACDD's Reaching People with Disabilities through Healthy Communities project and a power wheelchair user himself, found the perfect solution; he developed the mobility device-charging station.  This unit, which can easily be mounted anywhere there is an electrical outlet, can assist power wheelchair users who need access to charging batteries while in the community. NACDD worked with Darrin and other Community Coaches to educate community partners and develop strategies to implement these devices throughout the entire county. Ten mobility device-charging stations have been installed in various community settings so far, including a recently installed charging station at the Oregon Statehouse, serving as the first power charging station at a state capital location in the country. Now, Darrin Umbarger and other power wheelchair users have an added sense of security, safety, and belonging to the community, where access to healthy living venues like community parks and places of interest are improved.
Heather Gramp, MPH
Physical Activity and Nutrition Policy Specialist
OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY
Public Health Division
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention
Office: 971-673-0630
Cell: 503-358-0337
http://www.oregon.gov/OHA

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