Center for Disabilities Studies

A bill sponsored by state Sen. Bryan Townsend expanding access to dental services for low-income adults on Medicaid reported out of a Senate committee Wednesday. Delaware is one of just three states that do not offer dental benefits to Medicaid recipients over 21 years old. This legislation, which now comes before the full Senate, would promote routine, preventive dental care, reducing negative health outcomes for Delawareans and saving the state money it would otherwise spend on treating dental emergencies.

The Division of Public Health announced the launch of a health-focused data portal last week. The tool, My Healthy Community, gives Delawareans access to data measuring various indicators of public health, including air quality, asthma incidence, drinking water and drug overdoses. Administrators say they plan to add more categories soon, such as maternal and child health, health services utilization, education and lead poisoning, Residents can search health indicators by location.

The My Healthy Community website can be found here: https://myhealthycommunity.dhss.delaware.gov.

CNET says that tech companies have made significant achievements in ensuring digital accessibility, but barriers still remain. Recent advances include automatic captions and alt-text on platforms like Facebook and YouTube, adaptive Xbox controllers and AI assistance for people with speech impairments. Digital accessibility experts suggest that making the chief accessibility officer an executive-level position and hiring more people with disabilities are ways tech companies can focus on maintaining and improving their products’ accessibility.

Access to services through vocational rehabilitation (VR) varies dramatically between states, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. The VR program, a joint state and federal initiative, offers individuals with disabilities help finding and sustaining employment. Researchers found significant differences in who accessed VR services, when they received services and their odds of being employed when services were complete, which they said likely arose from differences in state-level policies.

A museum preserving the Laurent House, the only house designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright specifically for an individual with a disability, will be able to build a visitors’ center. This will enable it to offer crucial amenities including bathrooms, which are prohibited in the house. Constructed in 1952 for a World War II veteran who used a wheelchair, the Laurent House meets about 90 percent of the Americans with Disabilities Act’s accessibility requirements and was counted by Wright as one of his 38 masterworks.