ADHCE Core Competencies for Disability Health Care Education

Overview

• What are the ADHCE Core Competencies? Why do they matter?
• How are the ADHCE Core Competencies being used?
• Read the ADHCE Core Competencies Document [PDF].
• Read how the ADHCE Core Competencies have been adopted by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education.
• Read about the National Council on Disabilities (NCD) “Policy Framework to End Health Disparities of People with Disabilities” that was informed by the ADHCE Core Competencies.
• Read about how the ADHCE Core Competencies were Developed on The Ohio State University Nisonger Center’s website.

ABout the ADHCE Core Competencies

View or download the complete ADHCE Core Competencies document [PDF] on the Ohio State University Nisonger Center website. 

What Are The Core Competencies and Why Do They Matter

The Core Competencies on Disability for Health Care Education establish the baseline expertise required to provide quality care to patients with disabilities. The Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education (ADHCE) partnered with Ohio Disability and Health Program at The Ohio State University Nisonger Center to establish a consensus on the core competencies through an iterative structured feedback process that included 152 people with disabilities, disability experts, health educators, and health care providers.

The intent of the Core Competencies document is to provide broad disability standards for health care education. Following the principles of patient-centered care, patients with disabilities should be included as central members of the care team as early and completely as possible. We anticipate that as these competencies are integrated into existing curricula, faculty will implement corresponding lectures, readings, and patient experiences to provide greater detail to students.

How the ADHCE Core Competencies were Developed

• What was the consensus process?
• What are the Core Competencies?
• How can my organization show support for the Core Competencies?
• What resources are available to help make the case for support to my organization?
• What is the next step for integrating the competencies into health education curricula?

Find answers to these questions and details about how the ADHCE Core Competencies were developed on the Ohio State University Nisonger Center website.

More Ways the Core Competencies are Being Used

ADHCE Core Competencies have been adopted by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education

On July 14, 2021, The National Council on Disabilities wrote a letter to Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), urging "ACGME to require all of its accredited residency and fellowship programs adopt and implement disability cultural competency training to ensure that physicians are prepared to meet the health needs of people with disabilities. ACGME recommends that training incorporate the Core Competencies on Disability for Health Care Education drafted by the Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education. AGCME stated the core competencies present standards on social, environmental, and physical aspects of disability to inform future health professionals on how to provide effective, interprofessional team-based health care. Moreover, it is imperative that people with disabilities are involved in the development of that training."

ADHCE Core Competencies were integrated into NCD Report

The National Council on Disabilities (NCD) integrated ADHCE’s Core Competencies 1-6 within NCD’s Policy Report [PDF]. Alliance for Disability Healthcare Education members worked in partnership with the NCD to develop this NCD Policy Brief reported to Congress and its subsequent success by being adopted by ACGME.

“Purpose: This Policy Brief Report provides rationale for the need of an all-of-government approach to achieve health equity in the United States and our territories for the largest unrecognized minority group in this country, the over 61 million people with disabilities, and sets forth a framework to achieve health equity for all people with disabilities. Disability is a natural part of the human condition, which occurs across all age, gender, racial, ethnic, language and social groups.”

The brief includes sections on: Comprehensive Disability Clinical-Care Curricula and Disability Competency Training; Model Disability Clinical-Care Competency Curricula Framework; Accessible Medical and Diagnostic Equipment; Improving Data Collection Concerning Healthcare for People with Disabilities across the Lifespan.