Health

Updated  01.10.26  

About June: June Isaacson Kailes is a Disability Policy Consultant known for practical, field-tested approaches to inclusive disability-related health care skills. This page focuses on self-advocacy practices for consumers, including being active, planning ahead, preventive care, and fitness, and provides tools, checklists, and archived content.
Learn more: About June, Health Experience,  Contact

For consumers (Be an active advocate)

5 “G’s” Getting Access to Health Care for People with Physical Disabilities (Word) (2008)

Be an Active Health Care Consumer, (Word) Edition 2 (2019), Health care providers deserve respect, not worship! The old “doctor always knows best” attitude is outdated. You must speak up, or you may not get important care. Being passive can be harmful to your health. Contents:

  • Determine Priorities
  • Survey: Advocacy Skills Survey
  • Trusting Your Life Experience and Your Common Sense
  • Quizzes:
    • Are You Active or Passive?
    • Visit Strategies
  • Checklist:
    •  Accessibility Planning
    •  Chief Complaint / Reason for Visit
  • Effectively Communicating
  • Understanding and Remembering Visits Information from Visits
    • Working With A Support Person
    • Taking Notes
    • Record The Visit
    • Asking for Pictures
    • Getting Your Test Results

Can Disability, Chronic Conditions, Health and Wellness Coexist? (2000), pdf, 6 pages, Covers:

  • health and disability are not mutually exclusive,
  • problem with people with disabilities seeing health as beyond their control
  • newer models of health,
  • understanding and discarding negative misconceptions and stereotypes,
  • exercise: guidelines, facilities and equipment.

Making Preventive Health Care Work for You – A Resource Guide for People with Physical Disabilities, (2006), pdf, screen reader version, Information and tools regarding:

  • determining your health risk
  • creating a routine screening and immunization plan tailored to your needs
  • becoming or strengthening being active in your healthcare
  • increasing effective communication skills
  • checklists: risk factors, routine, screening, and immunizations, planning ahead for disability-specific help, and test results
  • tips for healthcare providers regarding routine preventative screening for people with disabilities

Using a Fitness Center Does Not Have to be an Exercise in Frustration: Tips for People with Mobility and Visual Disabilities (Word) (2008), Fitness Center … (pdf)

For Healthcare Providers

Archives