Recorded presentation

Rania Wasfi, BS¹, Charles E. Drum, JD, PhD², Brian Ritacco, MA², and Willi Horner-Johnson, PhD². (1) Oregon Health and Science University, PO Box 574, Portland, OR 97207, 503-494-1384, wasfir@ohsu.edu, (2) Oregon Office on Disability and Health, Oregon Health & Science University, PO Box 574, Portland, OR 97207-0574

The social model of disability takes a much broader view of disability than either the medical or functional models. The social model takes into account environmental factors that contribute to disablement of persons with functional limitations. However, assessing and depicting environmental factors has been problematic. The Community Environmental Assessment Project (CAP) identifies and assesses environmental barriers and facilitators that contribute to disablement. As part of the CAP methodology, staff uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess and depict quantifiable environmental features. This presentation will show how GIS is utilized to identify barriers and facilitators in selected study communities and compare access to services between people with and without disabilities. Data used in the analysis is obtained from various sources including US Census bureau (disability status, demographic and socio-economics, etc.); Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (disabilities status, types, etc); and Regional Land Information Systems (transit, land use, sidewalks inventory, etc). Results are presented spatially using GIS maps, and quantitatively in a regression model. The developed model reveals differences in access to the built environment between people with and without disabilities. For example people with disabilities rely more on transit service than people without disabilities, and their socio economic status affects their access to other services as well. Such analyses can help in the decision-making process for the allocation of resources towards improvements in the built environment to increase people with disabilities’ interaction within the community.

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