Ep. 14 Addressing Ableism in Mental Healthcare for Patients with IDD - Micah Peace Urquilla

In this episode, we hear from Micah Peace Urquilla (they/them) about the Person Experiences Interview Survey (PEIS), a tool developed to engage patients with IDD in their own care. We talked about how the mental healthcare system has more barriers and is more difficult to navigate and receive quality care for people with disabilities. We also discussed how the PEIS aims to engage patients with IDD in their care to ensure it more person-centered. You can read Micah's article in DDNJ here. A full transcript is available here. Micah Peace Urquilla is an Autistic, multiply Disabled educator, community organizer, and researcher from Louisville, KY. They work as a Research & Training Associate at the National Center for START Services, where they serve as a Co-Investigator on the PCORI-funded study, "Evaluation of Telehealth Services on Mental Health Outcomes for People with Intellectual Disabilities," of which the PEIS is a product. Grounded in an 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, radical acceptance, and collaboration. Micah's professional interests include participatory research; peer mentoring and other forms of popular education; and the intersections between I/DD, systemic experiences of oppression or marginalization, and trauma. In their free time, Micah enjoys spending time outdoors, game nights, and napping with their cat, Sophie.   https://iod.unh.edu/evaluation-telehealth-services-mental-health-outcomes-people-intellectual-disabilities