In this episode we talked to the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Partnership (IDD-MH). This group is made up of researchers, including people with lived experience of IDD and/or mental health concerns.  Members of this group involved in this interview include Destiny Watkins, Micah Peace, Janet Shouse, Jessica Kramer, and Ravita Maharaj; brief bios of each person are included below. The purpose of this group is to learn about and make recommendations to improve access to mental health services for young adults with IDD-MH and we learn about how they became involved in this project and the impact it has had.

Links

Full transcript: http://https://www.mhddcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/IDD-MH-Research-Group-Interview-Transcript.docxstaging2.mhddcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Group-Interview-Transcript.docx

Article by the IDD-MH Research Partnership: 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19315864.2019.1636910?journalCode=umid20

MHDD National Training Center: www.mhddcenter.org

 

Thank you for listening to the Mental Health Crossroads Podcast - where we explore the intersection of mental health and developmental disabilities. This podcast is produced by Dr. Alex Schiwal and is hosted by Dr. Jeff Sheen. This podcast is a product of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities National Training Center, which is a grant from the Administration for Community Living. Remember to like, subscribe, listen, and share wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on social media @mhddcenter.

*Music Credit: Music for our podcast is licensed from Marmoset Music. Artist: Johnny Clay; Song "Looking Down the Road"

 

Guest Bios:

Destiny:

I have many lived experience of Physical/Development/Mental Health challenges. I am a DoTerra Wellness Advocate. I played a central role as an advisory board member of the Intellectual/Developmental Disability and Mental Health (IDD- MH) Research Partnership (PCORI Tier A P2P award: #7675658-A), I helped design the techniques we used to better understand the needs and experiences of young adults with IDD and co-occurring mental health conditions. I have done several national presentations and webinars to share what we learned. I was also an advocate for our group at a national expert panel held by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). I was also part of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) national conference and annual reauthorization. I have made multiple presentations about mental health advocacy and natural approaches including for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and the START National Training Institute and I was also on a few other advisory boards for peer mentoring intervention also with Boston University. I am a primary member as a co-investigator for “Reconciling the Past & Changing the Future: Engaging young adults with IDD-MH and researchers in CER/comparative effectiveness research”.I also am involved in other projects around the country since my past project are connected and involved in project like The Arc Of United States and Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) I also am a self-advocate in my local city hall engineering and planning/development with helping improving ADA accessibility and also when I travel for conferences and expert panels presentations.I also bring awareness of wheelchair accessibility and how to be more aware of people with many disabilities not just visual disabilities.

 

Micah: 

 

Micah Peace is an Autistic, multiply-disabled educator and community organizer from Louisville, KY. Grounded in an Intersectional, interdisciplinary approach as well as their own personal experiences of Disability, Micah strives to foster collaboration between Disability service providers and the Disability Community to promote true access, inclusion, and empowerment through creativity, acceptance, and collaboration. They are a founding member of the Kentuckian