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Minorities and Disabilities

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Minority women with disabilities often face "triple jeopardy:" discrimination on the basis of gender, race, and disability. Besides having to cope with the usual problems of a disability, minority women also have to deal with economic, social, and cultural factors that can hurt their health. For instance, they may not have access to high-quality and affordable health care.

Some racial groups are more likely to carry genes for certain inherited diseases (diseases that run in families). For instance:

• In the United States, most cases of sickle cell anemia (a type of blood disorder) occur among African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
• People of East European Jewish descent are at higher risk of inheriting Tay-Sachs disease, which causes mental and physical disabilities.
• Thalassemia (a group of inherited blood diseases) occurs most commonly in people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Southern Asian and African ancestry.

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Minority Women's Health - NWHIC has created this section of our web site to help you learn about the health risks and leading health concerns of minority women. You also will find information on nutrition and wellness since exercising, eating better, and reducing stress can help prevent major health problems like heart disease, cancer, and accidents.

   http://www.womenshealth.gov/minority/

2.   Diversity and Disabilities - This fact sheet discusses the importance of including disabilities in the nation’s move toward workplace diversity.

   http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek96/diverse.htm

3.   Populations: Minorities With Disabilities - This web site links to all the information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about minorities with disabilities.

   http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dh/minoritiesdisability.htm

4. A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities (Copyright © Hesperian Foundation) - This book is written for women with disabilities around the world. It contains chapters about understanding and taking care of your body, growing older with a disability, abuse, violence, self-defense, and much more.

   http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download_wwd.php

Organizations

1.   DisabilityInfo.gov
2.   National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH, HHS
3.   Office of Disability Employment Policy
4.   Office of Minority Health, OPHS, OS, HHS
5.   Office on Disability, HHS
6. American Indian Disability Technical Assistance Center

= Indicates Federal Resources