Wednesday, April 16, 2025
4/16/2025
Ableism as a Mechanism of Physical and Mental Health Inequities Among Children with Visual Impairment - PROJECT SUMMARY Ableism as a Mechanism of Physical and Mental Health Inequities Among Children with Visual Impairment According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 3% of American children are blind or visually im- paired – defined as having difficulty seeing even with correction. In the US, over 500,000 children who are blind or visually impaired (CBVI) experience substantial functional impairments, activity limitations, and par- ticipation restrictions, which are often exacerbated for CBVI from other minoritized groups. CBVI report lower health related quality of life and experience higher rates of chronic health conditions and mental health disor- ders compared to children with typical vision. Despite the prevalence of childhood blindness being greater than or equal to other rare, but well-researched, childhood conditions (e.g., childhood leukemia), research is virtu- ally nonexistent regarding psychosocial factors, such as ableism, that impact the physical and mental health of CBVI. Ableism harms people with disabilities, including CBVI, by excluding them from full access to and par- ticipation in cultural, educational, occupational, and recreational opportunities. Thus, there is a critical need to understand how ableism contributes to health inequities experienced by CBVI. The objective of this research project is to extend and expand our preliminary findings that highlighted a link between experiences of ableism and poorer physical and mental health of CBVI by: (1) recruiting a first of its kind, large, diverse sample of CBVI from across the United States; (2) obtaining detailed measures of distal (interpersonal discrimination, victimization, rejection) and proximal (intrapersonal, affective, cognitive) ableism from the perspectives of both caregivers and children; (3) using advanced multivariate analytic techniques to identify the contributions of ableism – beyond other social determinants of health – to physical and mental health outcomes among CBVI; and (4) obtaining multi-method, multi-informant assessments of physical and mental health status to further validate our findings. By elucidating the impact of ableism on health inequities faced by CBVI, the pro- posed research will foster the development of interventions for caregivers, educators, and healthcare providers aimed at reducing ableist beliefs and actions and thereby having an important positive impact on health out- comes for this population. We will achieve the overall objectives of this proposal by assessing 500 CBVI ages 9- 17 and their caregivers from across the United States with respect to both distal and proximal ableism (directed towards the child) and child physical and mental health status. We will collect data on other potentially rele- vant covariates including social determinants of health; type, degree, and age of onset of visual impairment; and presence of other disabilities including hearing impairments, developmental disabilities, and motor disa- bilities.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).