Legislative Update May 21 2010
BIAA continues providing updates at the legislative level.
CDC Forms Disability and Health Work Group
Largely due to the advocacy of the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Coalition (DRRC), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that they will form the first Disability and Health Work Group to advance the health of people with disabilities. With cross-agency representation, the work group will focus on incorporating disability status into CDC surveys, showcasing best practices, and ensuring relevant issues for people with disabilities are reflected in CDC programs and policies.
BIAA is pleased that these issues will be elevated within the CDC and will offer any assistance needed to further the group’s efforts.
House Education and Labor Committee Holds Sports and Concussion Hearing
On May 20, 2010, The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to investigate the impact of concussions on student athletes and their academic performance. BIAA was contacted by the Committee early in the planning stages for general guidance of the issue including expertise regarding appropriate witnesses.
In conjunction with the hearing, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report was released finding that concussions in high school athletes are widely unreported and under-diagnosed suggesting a gross underestimate of the overall national occurrence of concussion in high school sports.
