Texas Health-Care Workers Wanted for Study Participation
April 21, 2009Austin, Texas
Do you work in health care in Texas and have a colleague or supervise someone who has a disability? Or, are you a person with a disability who works in health care in Texas?
If so, researchers from SEDL would like to interview you about your work experiences.
The definition of disability is very broad. It includes those who currently have substantially limiting impairments or had them in the past. By 'disability' we mean any kind of physical or mental impairment you currently have or had in the past that lasted more than 6 months and that limits or limited a major life activity. An impairment could be any number of conditions or diseases, including arthritis, diabetes, back injury, heart disease, emotional illness, or a learning disability. It would also include those who have a history of cancer or drug or alcohol addiction or any other impairment. Major life activities include, but are not limited to performing manual tasks, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, concentrating, thinking, or communicating. A major life activity could also be the operation of a bodily function which includes bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.
You will be compensated for your participation.
You can participate in this study if you work with someone, or you yourself have or have had a back injury, depression or a history of cancer or past addiction to drugs or alcohol—any health condition or impairment that currently does or in the past made it a lot harder for you (or your co-worker) than for the average person to walk, lift, sit, stand, read, concentrate, learn, see, hear, speak, bathe or engage in other major life activities.
Focusing on those who work in hospitals, medical labs, and dental labs, the goal is to conduct one-on-one interviews, either face-to-face or by telephone, with individuals with disabilities, and with people who manage or supervise people with disabilities.
Please e-mail dbtac@sedl.org or call 1-800-476-6861 and ask for Kathleen Murphy to make arrangements. The research protocol has been reviewed by the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (HSC-MH-08-0373).
The Southwest ADA Center is part of TIRR Memorial Hermann's ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) program. You can check out all their activities at www.dlrp.org if you want more information about the ADA Center, ILRU or TIRR Memorial Hermann. The DBTAC is working with SEDL, a non-profit educational research organization in Austin. A summary of the projects SEDL is doing with the Southwest ADA Center is at http://www.sedl.org/DBTAC.html
