Access to Healthcare Initiative
Access to Healthcare for People with Disabilities
Decades after federal law required healthcare to be accessible, people with disabilities continue to report widespread barriers and pervasive discrimination. In 2024, FISA Foundation launched an initiative to shed light on the barriers and issues that people with disabilities encounter in healthcare settings. As part of this initiative, FISA Foundation has commissioned a report and video series centering the voices and experiences of people with disabilities in receiving quality, patient-centered care. View the navigation menu below to click on links to different materials and events from this initiative.
Navigation Menu
- Report Download A Far Cry From Fair: Health-care Access for People with Disabilities
- Report Key Findings and Summary Fact Sheets
- Webinar Recording – A Far Cry From Fair: Findings from a new report on barriers to healthcare
- Centering the Voices of People with Disabilities: Video Interviews with People with Disabilities on Healthcare Access
- Spring 2025 Webinar Series – Breaking Barriers: Dialogues on Healthcare Access for People with Disabilities
- CLOSED – Request for Proposals: Improving Healthcare Access for People with Disabilities in Southwestern PA
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A Far Cry From Fair: Health-care Access for People with Disabilities
FISA Foundation commissioned researchers from the University of Pittsburgh to write a report on barriers to healthcare that people with disabilities encounter. After conducting interviews with patients with disabilities and pulling form scholarly literature, the authors present the multitude of barriers to quality healthcare that people with disabilities say they face.
Download the Report Here: A Far Cry from Fair: Health-care access for people with disabilities
A Far Cry From Fair: Health-care Access for People with Disabilities, Large Print
FISA Foundation’s “A Fair Cry From Fair: Health-care Access for People with Disabilities” report is also available in braille. To request this, call 412-456-5550 or email us, info@fisafoundation.org.
Executive Summary and Fact Sheets
Fact Sheet: Access Barriers to Healthcare for People with Disabilities
Fact Sheet: Discrimination and Bias in Healthcare and Its Impact on People with Disabilities
Fact Sheet: Financial Barriers for People with Disabilities in Healthcare
BEST PRACTICES to make healthcare accessible to people with disabilities
WEBINAR RECORDING – A Far Cry From Fair: Health-care Access for People with Disabilities
Date: Wednesday, February 5, 2025
This webinar presented A Far Cry from Fair: Health-care Access for People with Disabilities, which highlights the persistent barriers that people with disabilities experience in navigating the healthcare system, combining published research with local voices to call for systemic reforms that ensure equitable care for all. Participants heard personal stories of people with disabilities discussing barriers they have encountered in the healthcare system, as well as their vision for what accessible care could look like.
Presenter: Dr. Josie Badger DHCE, CRC
Centering the Voices of People with Disabilities
“I want them [healthcare providers] to see me and not be overshadowed by my disability”
FISA Foundation commissioned a series of video interviews to center the experiences of people with disabilities in accessing healthcare. The videos illustrate the barriers they have encountered in receiving health care and their desire for more equitable, patient-centered care. Watch the short clips below.
Alisa
Amanda
Charlene
Cori
Fran
Holly
Josie
Lester
2025 Breaking Barriers Webinar Series
As part of the larger Access to Healthcare for People with Disabilities Initiative, FISA is producing a spring webinar series called “Breaking Barriers: Dialogues on Healthcare Access for People with Disabilities.” This series takes a “lunch and learn” approach and will be hosted by Dr. Josie Badger. These webinars will feature conversations with disability experts sharing strategies and practices implemented to improve healthcare access and quality of care for people with disabilities. Registration is live for these webinars in the spring. Register at the links below!
Advancing Disability Equity in Healthcare: A Dialogue with Dr. Megan Morris
Join us for a compelling webinar featuring Dr. Megan Morris, founder and director of Disability Equity Collaborative (DEC), as she engages in a dynamic dialogue with host Dr. Josie Badger. Dr. Morris will share her personal journey in the field of improving health outcomes for people with disabilities, the impactful work of DEC, and practical insights for healthcare providers and systems aiming to address disparities in care for patients with disabilities.
Improving Health Outcomes for People with Disabilities: A Dialogue with Sarah Triano
Join us for an insightful conversation with Sarah Triano, Associate Director of Long-Term Services and Supports and Disability Policy at the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). In dialogue with host Dr. Josie Badger, Sarah will share insights on CHCS’ portfolio of projects working to improve health care justice and equity for people with LTSS, including disability of all ages. She will also discuss strategies for improving health care outcomes for the millions of people enrolled in Medicaid.
Ensuring Disability Rights in Healthcare: Patient Rights & Hospital Responsibilities with Jenee’ N. Oliver, Esq.
Join us for a webinar featuring Jenee’ N. Oliver, Esq., Staff Attorney and Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) lead for Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP). In conversation with Dr. Josie Badger, Jenee’ will explore the critical intersection of disability rights and healthcare access, empowering patients and providers with knowledge to create equitable healthcare experiences.
CLOSED – Request for Proposals (RFP): Improving Healthcare Access for People with Disabilities in Southwestern Pennsylvania
As part of the Access to Healthcare initiative, FISA announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for grants up to $20,000 to improve access to healthcare for people with disabilities. The deadline to submit the RFP application was March 3, 2025. The RFP is now closed and not accepting submissions. Check back in June 2025 for an announcement of the grants awarded as part of the RFP.