More doctors being trained, dental practices have new resources, we're advising emergency departments how to improve their environment of care, we're building new tools for people with IDD and the people who care for them, and so much more.

Every policy rewritten,
every barrier removed,
every voice amplified
is proof that advocacy matters.
This is not about charity—
it is about rights.
Not about fixing people—
but fixing systems.
And as long as inequity exists,
advocacy will rise,
persistent, resilient,
and unapologetically human.

System change means shifting power,
centering people instead of processes,
and building structures that serve
instead of control.
It is slow work.
Unseen work.
Often thankless work.
But it is sacred work.

When lived experience becomes expertise.
When pain is transformed into purpose
and stories become strategy.
Systems do not change because they want to—
they change because people demand better.
Because advocates refuse to disappear.
Because justice keeps knocking
until the door finally opens.

Here is just one of his many contributions, a poem titled "System Change."

-----

System change is not comfortable.
It is born from voices that were ignored,
from people who were told to wait,
to settle,
to accept less than dignity.
Advocacy begins when silence is no longer an option.

We can't do this without you and your continued support. Please consider making a donation to support IEC today: givebutter.com/GkGevA

Read our full letter to supporters about 2025 here: www.linkedin.com/pulse/thank-...

The challenges of the last year taught us to be leaner, more focused, and more agile in our work. Through it all, we've remained focused and committed to our mission: to improve healthcare for people with IDD. And that work is more important than ever going into 2026.

IEC has responded by making an extra effort to support people with disabilities and their families. We're meeting with them more often, listening to their stories, steering them to resources, and building a community of support.

Today’s panel will explore:
✔️ What this rubric means for quality measurement
✔️ How it can guide clinical practice
✔️ Implications for policy

The IIDDEAL project brought together 200+ stakeholders—
👥 People with #IDD
👩‍👩‍👧 Caregivers
👩‍⚕️ Clinicians
📊 Researchers
🏥 Payers
🏛️ Policymakers

Together, they developed a quality rubric rooted in what matters most to people with IDD.

People with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (#IDD) face persistent health inequities:
▪️ Higher #COVID risk
▪️ Higher maternal mortality
▪️ More chronic conditions & preventable injuries
▪️ Greater mental health challenges

In 2024, IEC's IDD Advocate Corps tripled in size from 30 to 90 members. This growing group of self-advocates, care partners, and healthcare professionals is helping to drive real change by sharing lived experience, building trust, and shaping solutions from the inside out.

The Roadmap was shaped by 192 individuals and organizations, including self-advocates, family members, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers. All of whom came together to outline our vision for a better healthcare system.

Learn more in our 2024 Impact Report: www.ie-care.org/making-healt...

✅ Launched the National Roadmap for Disability-Inclusive Healthcare
✅ Developed the Always Uniquely Me app to support self-advocacy in ERs
✅ Created a new 90-minute continuing education course
✅ Expanded the IDD Advocate Corps from 30 to 90 members
✅ Published national IDD health goals in @jama.com

The episode explores the intersections of gender equity, health policy, and care for people with IDD. Dr. Pham shares powerful personal stories, hard-earned lessons, and a call to action for future leaders.

#IDD #HealthEquity #Podcast #WomenInMedicine

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Pham shares her unexpected path to medicine, her powerful advocacy for inclusive reproductive health, and why centering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) must be a priority in health policy.