Special Olympics Fights Against Institutional Discrimination in Medical and Dental Community
Special Olympics has released research on the barriers to health care for people with intellectual disabilities. The research clearly shows that dentists and doctors are not providing access to health care for people with intellectual disabilities and people with intellectual disabilities have some the worst health care of any minority population.
Groundbreaking studies commissioned by Special Olympics found disturbing evidence that individuals with intellectual disabilities face widespread discrimination in their access to health care, and physicians, dentists and other health professionals are not receiving adequate training to treat them.
"The health of people with intellectual disabilities is much worse than that of people without disabilities," states Mary Helen Witten of the CDC." Physicians, nurses and other health care professionals are beginning to recognize that people with intellectual disabilities often do not have their health problems addressed and are often in need of additional health care. Unfortunately medical and dental schools often don't offer training or courses that prepare students to address health needs of this population."
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