Athlete Health messenger and Health Lead tell their advocacy stories at IADH Conference

Special Olympics Ireland athlete leader and Health Messenger Jonathon Deering joined Health and Wellbeing Lead, Dr Kathy Fulcher at the International Association of Disability and Oral Health (IADH) Conference in Trinity College Business School last week.

They participated in a panel discussion titled From a Sports Organization to a Health Organization: The Advocacy Journey in the US and Beyond.

The Healthy Athlete Programme provided the inspiration for the session – highlighting the ways in which Special Olympics brings athletes together for sport and, at the same time, creates opportunities for health screening, health education, referrals, and prevention.

Jonathon did an amazing job providing insights of lived experience as an athlete with ID navigating the healthcare system, giving examples from himself and fellow athletes, and sharing ideas on what might make a difference to improve this.

The panel of experts shared the journey that has led to the development of fully accredited education programmes and standards for dental practitioners to work with people with intellectual disabilities (IDD).

The closing messages urged the audience to continue this journey, with 3 important themes:

Listen to people with IDD.

Educate the health professionals who will care for them.

Advocate for systems that make equitable care the expectation—not the exception.

The panel also included Barbie Vartanian (Parent Advocate; New York University Dental Program Coordinator), Dr. David Fray (Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston), and Dr. Allen Wong (Professor Emeritus, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco).