This project is funded under the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s program, Community Research for Health Equity (CRHE), a community-led research program that seeks to elevate community voices and make the priorities of communities the primary goal of local health system transformation efforts. The goal of this community-based participatory action research study is to expose racist, ableist, and culturally biased systems that lead to poor health outcomes for Black, Indigenous, People of Color with Disabilities (BIPOC-PWD) in Springfield, MA, and that prevent them from living meaningful independent lives in the community of their choice. The grantees will examine whether and how intersecting racism and ableism prevent BIPOC-PWD from accessing home and community-based services and community-based long-term services and supports (C-LTSS), which are critical to enabling people with complex disabilities to live in the community and preserving their independence, dignity, and health. One critical aspect of this study will be to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability of members of this community to access C-LTSS services, and the consequences of any disruption of that access. The grantees will conduct an initial survey of Disabled people in the Springfield area regarding C-LTSS to inform subsequent focus groups and interviews. Deliverables will include a project work plan and annual and final narrative and financial reports. The project team will also produce a public-facing product of their choice to share new knowledge that can address local health care system inequities and/or make recommendations for action toward system improvements.

Principal Investigator(s)

Dennis Heaphy
Author

Dennis Heaphy, M.Div. M.Ed. M.P.H.

Health Justice Policy Analyst - Massachusetts Disability Policy Consortium

Dennis Heaphy is a health justice policy analyst and researcher with the Massachusetts Disability Policy Conso... Read Bio

Colin Killick headshot
Researcher

Colin Killick

Executive Director - Disability Policy Consortium

Colin Killick (he/him/his) is the Executive Director of Disability Policy Consortium (DPC), a statewide civil ... Read Bio