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Anti-mask ordinances amount to disability discrimination

University of Rochester health policy expert Mical Raz says anti-mask ordinances amount to disability discrimination for individuals with compromised immune systems—that includes people who have cancer and autoimmune disease, as well as those who have received organ transplants. As Dr. Raz explained in a recent Washington Post essay, immunocompromised individuals—even those who are vaccinated—may now find themselves inadequately protected in workplaces where mask requirements are legally banned and there are no vaccine requirements. Dr. Raz also co-authored a piece in the JAMA Health Forum discussing the implications of some states banning attempts to mandate masking. As she points out, vaccines have been less effective in individuals with different categories of immunosuppression. Dr. Raz concludes that allowing mask requirements is an important form of disability accommodation.

Rare and complex syndromes in children to be investigated by new research network

New and improved ways of supporting children with rare and complex syndromes are to be investigated by Cerebra’s pioneering collaborative research network – a unique academic team that integrates knowledge, expertise and resources across universities in the Midlands and Surrey; including Aston University, University of Surrey, University of Birmingham and University of Warwick. Cerebra Network Co-Director Dr Jo Moss, University of Surrey said: “The Network is a true collaboration that is integrated from the ground up to deliver a higher impact from its work and its funding than any individual approach could offer.” Funded by the charity Cerebra, the Cerebra Network continues and expands upon the work of the Cerebra Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders and aims to improve the lives of individuals with rare genetic syndromes and other neurodevelopmental conditions associated with intellectual disability and their families. A cornerstone of the Network’s approach is the collaboration between researchers at the four different universities, which can better reflect the multifaceted presentation of children with rare and complex disorders such as fragile X syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome, Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, Prader-Willi syndrome, Down syndrome, and Cornelia de Lange syndrome. Cerebra Network Co-Director Dr Caroline Richards, University of Birmingham, said: “Our aim is to improve the evidence that underpins better assessment and interventions and leads to improved outcomes for these children and their families. This area of research is underrepresented in modern academic circles.” Cerebra Network Co-Director Dr Hayley Crawford, University of Warwick said: “A Network that can work with families and children across a number of characteristics within a single team will yield better, more accurate assessments, evidence and ultimately therefore intervention guidance and solutions for clinicians and families.” The Cerebra Network for Neurodevelopmental Disorders will be launched at a public event on Thursday 3 June by academics and clinicians from the University of Warwick (Dr Hayley Crawford), University of Surrey (Dr Jo Moss), University of Birmingham (Dr Caroline Richards) and Aston University (Dr Jane Waite). The virtual event will showcase its upcoming research into the challenges faced by children with rare genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability in everyday settings, as well as the close work the team does with their families. Cerebra Network Co-Director Dr Jane Waite, Aston University said: “The launch event will be an opportunity to hear about the work that is being conducted by the Network and how this sits in the wider field of intellectual disability research.” The day will be split into a Family Focus Session from 10am – 12.15pm and a Research Focus Session from 1pm – 3.45pm, both open to members of the public. The Family Focus Session will be of particular interest to parents and carers of people with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families, and will cover the research the network aims to do, family experiences of that research, and question and answer sessions. The Research Focus Session will focus on the research behind the Network’s three key themes: Autism, Sleep and behaviour, and Mental health. Of particular interest to academics and professionals working with people with neurodevelopmental disorders, it will include talks by researchers and clinicians in the field with the opportunity for a live Q&A session. Tracy Elliot, Head of Research and Information at Cerebra, said: “We are investing in this collaborative and vibrant network of researchers with the combined aim of improving the lives of individuals with multiple and complex needs. This is an exciting new development in the way we fund research, one we believe will yield impactful and lasting outcomes for families.”

Forbes Ranks ChristianaCare as one of the best employers for diversity and inclusion in the United States

ChristianaCare also ranks as No. 1 overall employer for diversity and inclusion in Delaware, No. 14 among U.S. health systems (WILMINGTON, Del. – April 23) magazine ranked ChristianaCare as one of the best employers for diversity and inclusion in the United States in its list of Best Employers for Diversity 2021. ChristianaCare also ranked as the No. 1 employer for diversity in Delaware and the No. 14 health system for diversity in the nation. ChristianaCare ranked 121st out of the 500 employers that were recognized. “At ChristianaCare, our mission is simple, but profound – we take care of people,” said Janice Nevin, M.D., MPH, president and CEO of ChristianaCare, which is Delaware’s largest private employer. “And caring for people means that we work together, guided by our values of love and excellence, to bring equity and inclusion to everyone we serve, including our own caregivers. We are committed to building a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve, as we aspire to deliver high-quality, accessible care and achieve health equity.” ChristianaCare has committed to being an anti-racism organization and works to ensure that commitment is reflected through the organization’s policies, programs, and practices. (Read more about ChristianaCare’s anti-racism commitment here.) ChristianaCare’s inclusion efforts also include the launch of 10 employee resource groups, which connect caregivers who have a common interest or bond with one another. Formed by employees across all demographics – such as disability, gender, race, military status, national origin, sexual orientation, etc. – these voluntary grassroots groups work to improve inclusion and diversity at ChristianaCare. More than 750 caregivers at ChristianaCare participate in employee resource groups. ChristianaCare also recently launched LeadershipDNA, a new leadership development program that is specifically targeted to underrepresented, diverse populations and is designed to foster professional and career development. “We are grateful for this recognition, which affirms that our organization is committed to taking on the meaningful work to help our caregivers be exceptional today and even better tomorrow,” said Pamela Ridgeway, chief diversity officer and vice president of Inclusion and Diversity at ChristianaCare. “The fact that our caregivers can see the value and feel the impact of our inclusion and diversity efforts illustrates the importance for us to continue to push onward.” Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity were identified from an independent survey of more than 50,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 1,000 people in their U.S. operations. The employees were asked to give their opinion on a series of statements surrounding the topic of age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+, and general diversity concerning their own employer. The survey also gave survey participants the chance to evaluate other employers in their respective industries that stand out with regard to diversity. Only the recommendations of minority groups were considered. Also factored in was diversity engagement amongst managers and diversity among leadership. About ChristianaCare Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible and lowering health care costs. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,299 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute. ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work, rated by Forbes as the 5th best health system to work for in the United States and by IDG Computerworld as one of the nation’s Best Places to Work in IT. ChristianaCare is rated by HealthGrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals and continually ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and other national quality ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With the unique CareVio™ data-powered care coordination service and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care. ####

Are vaccine passports legal in a post-COVID-19 era? Let our experts explain

As America and the world look to slowly round the corner of the safety measures enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the new coronavirus vaccines are giving hope of an eventual return to normal. However, with an active anti-vaccination movement afoot and many still skeptical of getting that essential poke in the arm, the World Health Organization said some government officials are suggesting the idea of vaccine passports. A simple piece of identification would end the uncertainty that comes with travel, work and the much sought-after leisure that often means crowded places and smaller spaces. The idea has already caught on in countries in Europe and South America. It may be the safety blanket many seek, but are vaccine passports actually legal? It is a question that’s beginning to get serious coverage. “Having proof of vaccination can be essential for a number of sectors other than health, but we cannot overlook the potential discriminatory consequences that may arise,” said Dr. William Hatcher, an expert in public policy and interim chair of the Department of Social Sciences at Augusta University. Another idea being floated is immunity passports, but Hatcher suggests¬ allowing only people with immunity to work might disadvantage those who haven’t gotten sick or those without the antibodies to prove it. It’s as if, in the eyes of their employer, their lack of infection constitutes a disability. The inequality that immunity passports could foster in these situations may be illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are also other ethical, practical, and cultural aspects to consider as well. If you are covering this emerging topic and are looking to know more, our experts can help. Dr. Hatcher is a professor of political science and interim chair of Augusta University’s Department of Social Sciences. He is an expert in the areas of public administration and social, economic, and political institutions in local communities. Hatcher is available to speak with media regarding the concept of vaccination and immunity passports. To arrange an interview, simply click on his name.

October is Disability Awareness Month - contact a UMW expert if you are covering

One in four Americans lives with a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the University of Mary Washington, it’s one in eight. “With those sorts of numbers, it’s mind-boggling [that] disability doesn’t have more automatic inclusion when people think about diversity,” said UMW Professor of English Chris Foss. As the Americans with Disabilities Act’s 30th year and October’s Disability Awareness Month shine a light on one of the country’s most underrepresented groups, so does a new UMW course. Offered for the first time this fall, Intro to Disability Studies (IDS) delves into the 21st-century experience of a diverse population, exploring cognitive, sensory, mobility and other differences as just as essential to the human condition as gender and race. The 16-week course fans out across disciplines, examining disability throughout the lifespan in historical, political, social and other contexts. Years in the making, the class is team-taught by faculty and staff – from art history, education, English, historic preservation, psychology and the Office of Disability Resources (ODR) – who’ve poured their time and passion into the topic in hopes it gains traction. “It took a lot of meetings, discussion and work on Google Docs to pull this together,” said Professor of Art History Julia DeLancey, who borrows from her first-year seminar, “The Beauty Difference Gives Us,” to deliver an IDS session on how disabilities affect artists’ work. If you are a journalist looking to cover Disability Awareness Month and the Americans with Disabilities Act’s 30th year, then let the experts from the University of Mary Washington help with your story. Dr. Julia DeLancey and Dr. Chris Foss are available to speak with media about this important topic – simply click on either icon to arrange an interview today.

Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities More Likely to Contract COVID-19

Recent news coverage has indicated that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) are more likely than those without ID/DD to contract COVID-19 and to die as a result of it. "Similar to other individuals with disability, those with ID/DD often have pre-existing health conditions that increase their risk," says Suzanne C. Smeltzer, EdD, RN, the Richard and Marianne Kreider Endowed Professor in Nursing for Vulnerable Populations at Villanova University's M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. Some people with ID/DD live in group settings in which they come in contact with others who may be infected with COVID-19. The frequent turnover of personal assistants and contact of persons with ID/DD with multiple personal assistants may increase the risk of COVID-19 in part because of their exposure to multiple potential carriers and the need for many of their personal assistants to use public transportation. Dr. Smeltzer says, "There is also concern in the disability community, among family members of individuals with disability and among disability advocates that those with these disabilities will be viewed as less deserving of more aggressive therapies, such as ventilators. The quality of life of persons with ID/DD may be considered by others as low, even though quality of life can only be judged by the people themselves." Initial limitations put in place in many health care institutions included the exclusion of family members and other support persons because of risk for COVID-19 infection. However, a groundswell of advocacy resulted in changes in this policy because individuals with ID/DD hospitalized during the COVID-19 pandemic were being deprived of essential support. "These support persons are needed to help those with ID/DD understand what was happening in the hectic health care settings and to help with communication and decision making," says Dr. Smeltzer. "Individuals with ID/DD need the same care as others and must receive explanations about their care and must be allowed to participate in making decisions about their care."

What's Ahead for California's Gig Workers?

A new law is set to take effect in California on January 1 that could significantly shift the landscape for the "gig economy" and freelancers across the state: Assembly Bill 5 (or AB 5) will require businesses to reclassify workers like ridesharing and food app delivery drivers as employees and not contractors, giving them access to minimum wage and benefits such as overtime, workers' compensation and health insurance.  Another group that's targeted in the legislation are freelance journalists. (Vox Media, the parent company of sports site SB Nation, has already taken action and laid off hundreds of freelancers before the law goes into effect.)  Villanova University professor Cheryl Carleton, PhD, is an expert on labor economics and the workforce who, in conjunction with Mary Kelly, PhD, recently published research on alternative work arrangements and job satisfaction. "By making them regular employees of the company, workers that firms do hire would gain some benefits, and the government may gain some unemployment insurance payments," Dr. Carleton said about California's AB 5 legislation. "Such a law may be great for them. However, other workers will be worse off because they will be losing just what they wanted—the ability to work when and where they want." "Some of these workers may already have needed benefits through a spouse or significant other or through another job," she continued. "Perhaps they are retired and already have access to those benefits. Still, other workers may not be able to take a regular job with its rigid hours, so they will not be able to work at all." Dr. Carleton also noted that there is a larger issue about how benefits are provided in our economy.  "Benefits such as medical insurance, pensions and sick and disability leave are provided through one's place of employment. To the extent that these other working arrangements are growing in popularity, the best approach may be for us to rethink how such benefits are offered," she shared. "It may be that more should be offered by the government to citizens, which then would allow them the ability to choose the job(s) they want that fill the needs they have." To speak with Dr. Carleton or Dr. Kelly, please click on the "View Profile" links featured on this page.

Showcase Your Experts to Generate Media Attention and Grow Business

This blog was initially posted by our friend David Meerman Scott on his blog, read it here Some of your most important assets for securing interest in the media as well as educating your buyers are the experts who work at your organization. As a part of a virtual newsroom or other appropriate place on your site and blog, highlighting your employees is a great way to generate attention. When reporters are looking to quote someone in a story, having a name, photo, bio, and examples of content makes it much more likely they will want to conduct an interview. This is especially true when you are newsjacking. Similarly, when buyers are exposed to the smart people employed at your company, they will be more likely to trust and want to do business with you. Yet most companies feature only the senior management team on the site, not those with particular and interesting expertise. University of Ontario Institute of Technology shines spotlight on faculty researchers For example, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), a public research university located in Oshawa, just outside Toronto, was founded in 2002. That makes it one of Canada’s newest universities. With an enrollment of more than 10,000 students, UOIT offers a range of undergraduate programs, plus graduate programs in science, engineering, health, and information technology. But because it is such a new institution, the marketers and public affairs people at UOIT have to work extra hard to make sure that potential students, donors, partners, and other constituents know about the school. Unlike other universities, UOIT cannot rely on decades of families that send their children and grandchildren to the institution and support it with financial contributions. So one way the school reaches out to new audiences is by promoting with the media the many faculty experts who teach and do research at UOIT. “We focus on the experts within the institution,” John MacMillan, director of communications and marketing at UOIT told me. “We have very few resources, but we have a lot of really interesting people who are focused on very exciting things, like using big data and looking at issues of disability and how it relates to the insurance industry, among other things. We are able to reach the media and people who are organizing conferences or booking speaking engagements.” MacMillan uses the ExpertFile software platform as a way to easily showcase UOIT thought leaders in what they call their Expert Centre. He publishes, promotes, and measures the expert content as a tool to engage business prospects, media, and conference organizers. “We needed to have a way of getting out those important stories that we know are of interest to media, to producers, to editors, but also in many ways to partners, to institutions that might be interested in working with us,” MacMillan says. “And we needed to have a way that did a better job of telling our story to those various groups.” MacMillan started with 26 profiles for faculty in the Expert Centre, and is steadily expanding to a planned goal of 200 profiles. He says that an ideal expert is one who is already comfortable with digital technology. “We’re amplifying the presence of each of those faculty members—whether they are involved in multimedia, whether they have their own websites, or whether they have their own followings—and presenting them in a way that gets some response. Part of their success as faculty members lies in establishing their bona fides with granting authorities or with the government or with others. The Expert Centre augments their legitimacy.” Adding credibility to your newsjacking efforts Having profiles available to the media also helps your newsjacking efforts. When you comment on something that’s newsworthy and a reporter finds it via search, they often want to know biographical information on the person before they quote them. Having a link to the bio of the author of that timely blog post is a great way to add credibility and to increase the liklihood of being quoted. As an example of the action that can come from an Expert Centre profile, MacMillan cites Dr. Isabel Pedersen, an associate professor at UOIT and Canada research chair in Digital Life, Media, and Culture. “She focuses on a sociological perspective of wearable computing devices,” he says. “Her research looks into questions like: ‘When we wear gadgets on our body, how will that shift the reality for us? How will it change the way we interact with other people? How will it allow us to participate in digital culture?’ She is one of the early profiles that we created because she is one of our Canada Research chairs, a distinguished researcher who is working on an area of particular national and international importance.” Dr. Pedersen’s Expert Centre profile contains her bio, photo, links to her Twitter and Google Plus feeds, and a list of past speaking engagements, as well as video content, previews of her book Ready to Wear, and articles she has published. The profile attracted the attention of a reporter from IEEE Spectrum magazine, the publication of the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence. “They were working on a story about wearable technology, and they wanted to interview her,” MacMillan says. “That’s a magazine from the U.S. that has a much broader readership than anything we’d be able to position her for, and it came along as a result of somebody seeing her profile and deciding that they wanted to speak with her. That’s an example of where we’ve been able to use our resources in a very efficient way, in a manner that gets a story out well beyond our own physical boundaries and that tells about the uniqueness of the work that’s going on at this university.” A lesson learned from the early days of the UOIT Expert Centre was the importance of having the profiles appear in a consistent voice. “When we started out, our assumption was that the individual faculty members or individual experts would develop their own profiles,” MacMillan says. “We realized that would result in a lack of consistency, so we hired a writer, and her job was specifically to interview our experts and to create a story for each of those experts so that when someone does look at this, they’re looking at a consistent story, a consistent tone, and a consistent brand for the university. I’ve learned from creating our Expert Centre that I share some one of the same challenges as faculty members: if you don’t manage your digital presence actively, someone will do it for you. I like to think that our Expert Centre has helped our faculty to curate their digital content as much as it’s helped our university to strengthen its brand.” The ExpertFile platform Your employees are a great resource for generating interest in the media as well as a way to show potential customers and partners that you are doing interesting work. Showcasing them is easier with the ExpertFile platform, a SaaS application that helps organizations make their experts more visible. In my mind, ExpertFile is to showcasing people what HubSpot is to showcasing content. What’s traditionally held many organizations back is that until now, there hasn’t been an online platform to simply organize the growing base of expert content that is being produced across organizations every day. Yet this content is what many audiences are looking for. They want to easily reference everything from biographies to speaking engagements, to social feeds and multimedia assets. “Experts are a great way to humanize an organization and make it more approachable, yet many marketers struggle with how to best showcase these people online,” notes Peter Evans, founder and CEO of ExpertFile. “Adding expert profiles to various sections of your website such as your media room is an ideal way to create more engagement on your site and drive valuable speaking, media and customer inquiries. Experts are quickly becoming the new frontier for content marketing.” Disclosure: I am on the advisory boards of both HubSpot and ExpertFile. Peter Evans, ExpertFile CEO, is a friend.

Turning disability into accessibility

As communities grow and modernize – are we making the proper accommodations for those with disabilities to live a fulfilling, productive, and independent life? It’s a popular topic and one that we are now seeing being advocated more in many areas of everyday life. Accessibility laws and expectations are now ensuring that all aspects of education, business, transit, and health care are made available to everyone. The concept is sound – but how are we as a community developing reasonable accommodations and community resources that allow all people to participate in the community and successfully live their life? Often, it’s not a matter of intentional exclusion, rather the issue simply hasn’t been considered and no plan exists. And there are costs to not having a plan in place. Not addressing these “social determinants of health” (housing, transportation, etc.) affect healthcare outcomes and raise costs of hospitals, social services, and health care. Addressing these issues and improving accessibility may actually increase societal health, decrease long-term societal healthcare costs, and bolster the tax base. But as we move forward there are a lot of questions in the community about how to approach accessibility: What mechanisms are in place to gather input on needs, identify barriers, and consider requests for accommodation? What types of accessibility needs exist of the people who will use different community settings? (Physical, cognitive, sensory, emotional, developmental, etc.)? What types of accessibility barriers exist (architectural, environmental, attitudinal, financial, transportation, etc.)? How much do different accommodations cost? How can community settings partner with people with disabilities and/or health and human service providers? What specific ways can accessibility improve societal health? And that’s where the experts from CARF can help. Christine M. MacDonell is the Managing Director of Medical Rehabilitation and International Aging Services/Medical Rehabilitation at CARF International. She can address the issue of accessibility as it relates to people who have experienced brain injury, stroke, cancer, amputation, and spinal cord injury. Christine is available to speak with media regarding this topic – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.

Expert on Virginia Constitution available to comment on gubernatorial removal, succession issues

John Dinan, a Wake Forest University politics and international affairs professor who specializes in the study of state constitutions and is the author of the book The Virginia State Constitution, can answer questions about the process in Virginia for removing a governor from office and what happens if a governor is removed or resigns. Removing a governor from office The Virginia Constitution provides two pathways for removing a governor from office. First, the Virginia Constitution allows for impeachment in cases of "malfeasance in office, corruption, neglect of duty, or other high crime or misdemeanor." Similar to the process in place at the national level, it takes a majority vote in the house to impeach an official and a two-thirds vote in the senate for conviction and removal from office. Second, in a provision that roughly tracks the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and was intended to apply to cases of physical or mental disability, a governor can be deemed "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” as determined either by the attorney general, senate president pro tem, and house speaker acting together or by a majority vote of all members of the legislature. Such a determination triggers a process that ultimately requires a three-fourths vote in the house and senate to remove a governor on the ground of inability to discharge the powers and duties of the office. Succession to the office of governor When a governor leaves office before the end of the term, he is succeeded by the lieutenant governor. In case the lieutenant governor’s office is vacant, the attorney general would become governor. In case the office of attorney general is vacant, the house speaker would become governor. In any of these situations, someone assuming the office of governor mid-term would not be prohibited from running for and serving another full term in office, despite Virginia’s prohibition on a governor serving consecutive terms. Succession to the office of lieutenant governor In the event the lieutenant governor succeeds the governor and therefore the lieutenant governor’s office becomes vacant, the senate president pro tem would discharge the duties of the lieutenant governor, while continuing to serve in the senate. The governor is then permitted to appoint someone to fill the vacancy in the lieutenant governor’s office, with this appointee serving until the next scheduled general election (November 2019), when an election would be held to fill out the remainder of the original term. Succession to the office of attorney general In the event of a vacancy in the office of attorney general, the position would be filled by a person selected by a majority vote of all members of the legislature, as long as the legislature is in session, and that person would then serve the remainder of the original term. If the legislature is in recess, then the position would be filled temporarily by an appointee of the governor and that person would serve until the legislature is next in session and would select someone to fill out the term. Broadcast Television and Radio Studio Information Wake Forest operates a fully-equipped, professional television and radio studio to connect experts with global news media. Video interviews can be coordinated through LTN Global Communications’ Smartcloud IP video transport service that provides regular high-quality video transport connections to most major broadcast networks. Audio interviews are coordinated through ipDTL, an IP codec used for remote radio broadcasts as well as voice-overs. ipDTL replaces classic ISDN audio codecs and has backward compatibility. Details available here.