Disability Inclusion in Public Health: How We Can Strengthen Workforce Capacity

Image Credit: Trimanggolo Mulyo for The Noun Project

NACCHO webinar: “Embedding Disability Inclusion in Public Health: Strategies to Strengthen Systems and Workforce Capacity.”

Recently, I had the pleasure of watching the NACCHO webinar: “Embedding Disability Inclusion in Public Health: Strategies to Strengthen Systems and Workforce Capacity.”

Their Health and Disability team conducted a landscape analysis to identify systems-level strategies that help local health departments (LHDs) build workforce capacity and embed disability expertise into core public health practices.

The project included a desk review of relevant literature and disability frameworks, key informant interviews, and the development of recommendations to support workforce and systems change.

With my interest in public health workforce development and accessibility, I want to highlight some webinar content relevant to my work.

Key Takeaways:

• Education Challenge: No clear guidance on how to integrate disability competencies into public health education.

• Training Gap: Public health lacks standardized disability education and training, leading to inconsistent knowledge and practices across LHDs.

• Recommendation: Integrate existing disability frameworks into core education and training.

  • The presenters emphasized that disability training cannot just be for continuing education. It cannot be one-time, optional learning experiences. We need it integrated into core education, with specific, tangible examples of practical application in public health work.

• Recommendation: Include disability inclusion in public health curricula, certification exams, and continuing education through credentialing and accrediting bodies.

  • Many of us (myself included!) sit on public health and health education curriculum and credentialing boards and workgroups. I challenge all of us to think about how we can advocate for disability inclusion in our work.

Relevance to Public Health Workforce

I also want to mention that while the webinar focused primarily on public health professionals serving the disability population with our core services, we also need these skills to support public health professionals within our workforce who are disabled. More than one in four adults in the United States have some type of disability, so this is relevant to our workforce, as well as our service population.

Workforce Considerations

• Are we creating accessible work environments where our colleagues can thrive?

• Are we designing accessible meeting and collaboration opportunities that reduce barriers to participation?

• Do state and local health departments have the necessary skills and tools to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II Web and Mobile Application Accessibility Rule (with compliance deadlines in April 2026 and 2027)?

Additional Resources

For those looking to take action quickly, I recommend reviewing two existing resources, Including People with Disabilities: Public Health Workforce Competencies and Core Competencies on Disability for Health Care Education.

I’d love to hear from you:

• If/how are you integrating disability core competencies into the courses and trainings you create for the public health and healthcare workforces?

• What barriers make it difficult to include this content? How can we make integration easier?