Special Session - (NBCC CE Credit: #1 hr and Conference Attendance Credit: #1 hr)

Organized and Made Possible by the Families and Health and Family Therapy Sections

Presenters: Jennifer L. Jones, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, and Kami L. Gallus, Ph.D., LMFT, Oklahoma State University

Facilitator: Kimberly A. Greder, Ph.D., CFLE, Iowa State University

Summary
This special session will highlight how Family Scientists can expand their understanding of diversity to include and engage individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in their current scholarship. Disability is a natural part of human diversity. With 15% of people globally, and approximately one in four U.S. adults experiencing a disability, individuals with disability make up the world’s largest minority group (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018); World Health Organization [WHO], 2019). Creating and promoting communities of belonging helps combat segregation and the numerous negative health and social outcomes (e.g., adverse mental and physical health outcomes, socio-economic inequality, chronic stress, social victimization, and inequitable access to health-related services and supports) experienced by individuals with disabilities and their families. Decades of research shows that when individuals with disabilities are embraced in communities, everyone benefits (Mahar, Cobigo, & Stuart, 2013; Mansell, Elliot, Beadle-Brown, Ashman, & Macdonald, 2002; Tucker, Jones, Gallus, Emerson, & Manning-Oullette, in press). Yet individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families continue to encounter systemic and societal barriers that reinforce both conceptual and physical segregation. United, we can foster families and communities where all people experience true belonging and enhance resilience. Presenters in this special session offer an understanding of intellectual and developmental disabilities from a social-ecological perspective. A systemic and social-ecological approach to disability focuses not on fixing or curing the individual, but rather on changing the understanding of individuals across contexts to provide supports that promote not only individual health and well-being, but have the potential to enhance individual, family, and community resilience. Presenters will provide an overview of current research, as well as policies and practices related to the health and well-being of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families

Objectives:
-- Based on the content of the session, I am able to identify the construct of intellectual disability and apply the social-ecological model of disability in my understanding of disability as a natural part of human diversity.
-- Based on the content of the session, I am more familiar with the evolution of policies and practices that significantly impact the health and well-being of individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families.
-- Based on the content of the session, I am able to assess my current scholarship and practices and develop accommodations to meet the support needs of individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families.

Presenters: 

Author(s) (indicate who is presenting with multiple co-authors)

Jennifer L. Jones, PhD is an Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University in the Department of Human Development and Family Science and Co-Director of the Institute for Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Jones earned a PhD in Human Environmental Sciences from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Jones’ scholarship focuses on improving the quality of lives for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Kami L. Gallus, PhD, LMFT is a Professor at Oklahoma State University in the Department of Human Development and Family Science and Co-Director of the Institute for Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Gallus earned a master's degree in Family Studies and Human Services, with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from Kansas State University and a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy from Texas Tech University. Dr. Gallus is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Oklahoma (LMFT #920). Dr. Gallus’ scholarship focuses on enhancing resilience of vulnerable populations and family systems.