Tools

Tools that are helpful with health literacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and general health literacy.

NN/LM: National Network of Libraries of Medicine Southeaster/Atlantic Region: Health Literacy Toolkit.
This page is filled with various programs, tool kits and guidelines used in various health literacy initiatives. None of these, however, include issues specific to people with intellectual disabilities.

Unified Health Communication: Addressing Health Literacy, Cultural Competency, and Limited English Proficiency (LEP).

Health Literacy 101: a self-study continuing ed program designed to be a beginning primer on health literacy. Although they mention “disability” as a culture, it is never addressed beyond the introduction of the cultural competence module. The training provided emphasizes skills in the clinical setting and uses simulation and videos to enhance instruction.

Journal of the American Dietetic Assocation. Topics of Professional Interest: Person-First Practice: Treating Patients with Disabilities piis0002822308021214-jada1-2009
Journal of the Americal Dietetic Association, April, 2010 (doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.02.019) . Picture This: Visual Cues Enhance Health Education Messages for People with Low Literacy Skills
Behavioral Health Nutritoin eNewsletter, Fall 2010 (pg 7, 8). Creating Understandable, Effective Tools for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Thanks to Neyal Anmary-Risch, MPH, CHES of the National Eye Health Education Program for the following four references.

Making Your Web Site Senior Friendly is an informative checklist Web designers can use while creating online material for older adults. This checklist, published by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine, is available at www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/checklist.pdf.
Making Text Legible: Designing for People with Partial Sight. These guidelines provide good examples of effective legibility choices for anyone. It is available by the Lighthouse International at www.lighthouse.org/accessibility/legible.
Effective Color Contrast: Designing for People with Partial Sight and Color Deficiencies. These guidelines provide specific examples of effective color contrast. It is available from Lighthouse International at www.lighthouse.org/accessibility/effective-color-contrast.
In Other Words…When Vision Is an Issue…Communicating With Patients Who Are Visually Impaired is a concise article that offers practical tips for designing materials for people with visual challenges. You can find it at www.healthliteracy.com/article.asp?PageID=3774.
Making Web Sites More Accessible for Users Who Are Older and/or Have a Disability includes background information on visual disabilities and offers strategies for improving accessibility. It is available at www.adrc-tae.org/tiki-index.php?page=TAEIssueBriefs.