September 10, 1991

TO: Senator Dole

FROM: Mo West

SUBJECT: Disability Prevention Agenda

According to a special committee of the Institute of Medicine, a national coordinated program is needed to prevent or curtail the progress of disabilities. In a study titled "Disability in America: Toward a National Agenda for Prevention," the committee states that efforts to stem disabilities have been too dispersed to be effective.

The report notes that while "there are a number of disability-related programs in the federal government.. no one agency has been charged with leadership responsibilities that focus on prevention." It proposes that these disparate programs be melded into a single effort, managed by the national Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to constitute a national disability prevention program.

The program would work to expand "surveillance" of disabling conditions, research and identify risk factors associated with disability, and study the relationship between disability and socioeconomic factors. Other goals of the prevention agenda include: greater access to health care, expanded access to family planning, and education for professionals, attendants and family members.

Senator Harkin has introduced legislation (S. 509) that would permanently authorize a demonstration program on disability prevention at the CDC. The bill would authorize $15 million in fiscal year 1992 for the program, which would fund grants to prevent disabilities, conduct studies and demonstration projects on disability prevention, and sponsor education programs. Senator Harkin also introduced several other bills to promote prevention of disabilities.