In the early 1990s a confluence of individuals and problems came together in the San Francisco Bay Area that focused attention on the lack of access to substance use disorder treatment for persons with mobility, sensory, developmental and cognitive disabilities. This resulted in the formation in 1997 of the National Association on Alcohol, Drugs and Disability (NAADD).

With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson and JM Foundations, the State of California and support from the SARDI Program at Wright State University the a small, dedicated band of disability and recovery advocates worked to place the issue of access onto the national radar screen, for not only the substance use disorder sector but also for the larger disability community.

One result was the release of a report in 1999 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. “Access Limited: Substance Abuse Services for People with Disabilities-A National Perspective” found, according to Substance Abuse Funding News that “most states lagging badly in serving those with disabilities.” One recommendation from the report urged federal and state addiction and disability leadership to aggressively enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 as well as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

NAADD was also instrumental in efforts to educate the alcohol and drug field about the rights afforded persons with a substance use disorder under the ADA. NAADD was actively involved in the U.S. Supreme Court case Raytheon v. Hernandez which affirmed protections against discrimination in employment for persons in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.

In more recent years NAADD and PHC have focused attention on access to treatment for persons with developmental disabilities. In Northern California a partnership with the Alta California Regional Center created trainings and materials for both the addiction treatment and developmental disabilities sectors that have been used widely in other jurisdictions to improve care.

Information about this project funded by the Mental Health Services Act can be found at:

https://www.altaregional.org/post/mhsa-substance-abuse-reduction-training-project

This web address includes a training video for clinicians seeking to improve alcohol and drug treatment services for persons with developmental disabilities, training curricula and a version of the 12-steps that is conceptually accessible to persons with limited cognitive abilities.

An article in Addiction Professional about the project is available at:

https://www.psychcongress.com/article/adapting-programs-help-developmentally-disabled