| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: Randi Moore, (202) 494-4638 |
| UCP Launches “Speak for Yourself,” a PCORI-Funded Project to Establish a Patient-Centered Research Network for Individuals with Disabilities
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Washington, D.C. (May 3, 2016) – United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) has launched Speak for Yourself, a two-year project funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award to address the various barriers to access that discourage or prevent individuals with disabilities from participating in medical research.
Speak for Yourself is a movement that will build a network of individuals with disabilities who are trained and empowered to become directly involved in medical research that improves their health outcomes.
“People with disabilities have long expressed the desire not only for more opportunities to participate in research, but for a voice in the decision-making around the ‘what’, ‘how’, and ‘why’ of disability-focused research. Speak for Yourself aims to empower people with disabilities to work alongside researchers to ensure that the future of research meets the needs of real people,” said Stephen Bennett, UCP’s President and CEO.
Speak for Yourself will include various opportunities for online engagement and access to resources on research participation. Each year of the project will culminate in a one-day convening bringing together advocates and researchers to collaborate on how to build a more dynamic relationship.
“To promote health equity among people with disabilities, we need to pursue research that is meaningful to those most affected. To do so, people with disabilities must have a say in the research process. Speak for Yourself is a part of the solution to transform science and promote patient-centered outcomes,” said Katherine McDonald, PhD, Associate Professor of Public Health at Syracuse University.
UCP believes that relevant and well-informed patient-centered clinical research is essential to advancing healthcare access, quality, and choice for individuals with disabilities. A patient-centered approach to research that encourages individuals with disabilities to provide input on the gaps in evidence, best practices, and direction of disability-focused research is central to creating a life without limits
More information about Speak for Yourself can be found at http://mylifewithoutlimits.org/speak-for-yourself/
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About United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services through an affiliate network to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with a network of affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence. For more information, please visit http://www.ucp.org.
About The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010 to fund comparative effectiveness research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence needed to make better-informed health and healthcare decisions. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions. PCORI is committed to continually seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work.