Exploratory Evaluation of Inclusion Wheel Model for Public Health Practice to Include People With Disabilities: Implications for Leadership and Training to Serve the Whole Community

Abstract

Background

This study evaluated the presence of the Inclusion Wheel Model’s factors and conditions across programs on a variety of public health topics, in which people with disabilities were intentionally included.

Purpose

We used an action research approach to facilitate three learning groups and two communities of practice, including participants from the national disability community, nonprofit, university, and government public health partners.

Method

We conducted a qualitative analysis using virtual meetings, meeting notes, and the series of feedback surveys as data sources. A primary coder and secondary coder reviewed, coded, and analyzed each data source according to preset coding schemes, using a previously developed codebook based on the Model. All supports and factors of the Inclusion Wheel were identified, including adaptive leadership supports, readiness for the change of including people with disabilities in public health efforts, capacity building activities, and capacity efforts across settings and topics.

Conclusion

This examination has critical implications for public health trainers, leaders, and program designers on the inclusion of people with disabilities and other underserved populations in health promotion efforts. Public health practitioners must serve the whole community, including underserved and marginalized demographic groups, like the one in four Americans living with a disability. The Inclusion Wheel may be used as a model to guide disability inclusion training among public health partners and leaders in nonprofit, corporate, and government sectors, as well as to prioritize involvement of marginalized and underserved population groups in planning health promotion efforts.