We want you to be healthy.

We want to help you get the best health care!

Let's work to make healthcare better for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD).

Let's learn together.

Learn how to find a clinician, make an appointment and prepare for your visits

Before the Visit

Learn more about what to expect during your visit and different tests you may have to do.

What to Expect

Learn more about what to do after your visit, how to understand your health care plan, how to call the office with any questions you have, and use stoplight action plans.

After the Visit

Learn your rights.

The ADA is the American with Disabilities Act.

It says that everyone has the right to get the health care they need.

It says you deserve respect and dignity.

Find the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network Easy Read Self-Advocate's Guide to the Americans with Disability Act here:

Read the Guide Here

Healthcare Bill of Rights

The SAFE Initiate has put out a Healthcare Bill of Rights for people with IDD.

It says you have the right to:

Be seen as a person first.
Get care when you need it with respect and kindness.
Be part of the decision-making. Give consent (or assent) or refuse it.
Get care that is really set up to fit your needs.
Be talked to in the way you prefer and so you can understand.
Use the support and technology you need.
Speak up for your own needs and interests.
Get care that does not cause you trauma.
Get the right care for pain and anxiety.
Get care that is free from restraint, force, abuse, or neglect.

Weitzman C, Nadler C, Blum NJ, Augustyn M; Supporting Access for Everyone Consensus Panel. Health Care for Youth With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: A Consensus Statement. Pediatrics. 2024 May 1;153(5):e2023063809.

The Australian Department of Health made this EASY READ: Your right to good health care guide:

Read the Guide Here

Do you speak for yourself? Who helps you?

People with IDD have the right to speak or act for themselves.

People with IDD must hold the power to make their own decisions about their lives.

AAIDD Decision Making Supports and Guardianship position statement.

People with IDD may ask others to help them.

They might ask for support from peers, family, direct service providers, and others.

The main types of supports for decision making are:

Supported decision making
Health Care Representative or Power of Attorney
Guardian

The ARC of Indiana has videos and handouts about guardianship and alternative decision making support.

Learn to be good at decision making. These skills build over time.

Practice making decisions and talking with those your trust about those choices.

This is called being a self-advocate.

Think-Plan-Do is a website to help you work on decision making.

What is consent?

Consent is choosing whether to say yes or no to something that involves you.

Once you are 18, you will be asked to say yes or no to choices in healthcare.

It is important to understand the choice. Get help, if you need it.

Consent Easy Read

IC4 Consent to Treatment handout

Male getting his blood pressure taken by woman nurse

Good, Bad and Necessary Touch

You may already know the rules of Good and Bad Touch.

Do you know about Necessary Touch?

Good touch makes you feel happy, safe, or comfortable.
Bad touch makes you feel forced, hurt, or afraid.
Necessary touch can describe touch that might hurt or scare you but you still need to keep you healthy and safe.

For example, you might choose that you need to have a blood draw for your health even though you know that it may hurt some.

Another example, you might choose to go to the dentist to get a cavity filled even though you know it may hurt a little.

You may ask others you trust to help you decide about necessary touch.

Good Touch, Bad Touch Easy Read

Privacy and disclosure

The word "confidential" means we keep your personal info "private". This means we will not share it with others. Anyone who works in healthcare must keep your info private. If we want to share your info to help you, we will ask you first. We may share info in some emergencies without asking you:

if you get really ill and can't speak,
if you are not safe, want to hurt yourself or someone else,
if you have an illness that others can get from you, or
if there is a legal summons to give it.

The word "disclosure" means you make a choice to tell someone about your disability.

Usually, a person will tell another person about their disability when they want to ask for special support for that disability.
Your doctor will want to know about your disability.
In healthcare, most disabilities can increase chances of other health issues.
If your doctor knows about your disability, you can work together to prevent or treat other issues early.

Health Services and Confidentiality Easy Read