Understanding and measuring how structural ableism affects health for disabled individuals
Official title: Identifying and Measuring Domains of Structural Ableism to Advance Health Equity for the Disability Community
Funded at University of Virginia · NIH-10992728 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how unfair policies and practices that favor people without disabilities affect the health of those with disabilities, and it aims to gather information from the community to help improve health equity for everyone.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $597,522 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HD116303-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-10992728 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are individuals within the disability community who experience health inequities due to structural ableism.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not identify as disabled or do not experience health disparities related to structural ableism may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research aims to identify and quantify the ways in which structural ableism—policies and practices that favor able-bodied individuals—contributes to health inequities faced by the disability community. Over five years, the project will develop validated measures of structural ableism through a combination of historical analysis, policy review, and interviews with key informants. The research will also create individual-level measures to assess personal experiences of discrimination and community-level assessments using existing datasets to explore the impact on health outcomes. By engaging with the disability community, the project seeks to translate findings into actionable insights that can inform health equity initiatives.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved understanding and interventions that address health disparities experienced by disabled individuals.
How similar studies have gone: While the specific focus on structural ableism is relatively novel, similar research on structural oppression has shown promising results in addressing health disparities.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Valdez, Rupa Sheth — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Valdez, Rupa Sheth
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Sex differences in language impairment and services for children and adults
A study examines why girls with language impairment may receive fewer speech services than boys and what that means for treatment.
-
How COVID school closures affected kids with or at risk for developmental differences
This NIH grant follows children aged 4 to 15 and their families to see how pandemic school closures impacted emotional well-being and parenting over three years.
-
Disability Community Engagement for All of Us Enrollment and Retention
A patient-friendly plan to help people with disabilities join and stay in the All of Us program so researchers can learn how to tailor care.
-
Neural targets for improving function in Veterans with alcohol use disorder and mild brain injury
This project tests a targeted brain-stimulation approach to help Veterans who have both alcohol use problems and mild traumatic brain injury improve daily functioning.
-
Mediterranean-style eating and aging in people with multiple sclerosis
This project looks at whether following a Mediterranean-style diet is linked to slower biological aging and less brain shrinkage in people living with multiple sclerosis.
-
How where you live shapes midlife disability and thinking skills for low- and high-income adults
This project compares how where people live affects disability and thinking skills in middle-aged adults in the US and other high-income countries.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.