We asked Dr. Kara Ayers, who serves on our My ROAD to Health Empowerment Board, a few questions about her work and dignity of risk. Dr Ayers is the Associate Director of the University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. You can learn more about her work and her lab here. We are so thrilled to have her expertise to support the My ROAD to Health project.
Check out her responses below and her latest resource, the Accessible Pregnancy Action Plan, which is a birth plan created through a peer to peer process for pregnant people with disabilities.
1. Why is “dignity of risk” important in healthcare, especially for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)?
Dignity of risk gives people freedom to make decisions that are right for them. We should all have the freedom to try some things and refuse others because we know ourselves and what we hope for our future best. Dignity of risk is especially important for people with disabilities because people often use the excuse that they are protecting us to take away our rights or freedoms.
2. What’s one common misconception you see about dignity of risk in healthcare, and how do you respond to it?
It’s a misconception that respecting someone’s dignity of risk is easy. I’m a disabled mom and even though I know it’s so important to let my young adult son make his own decisions, it can be really hard! This isn’t an excuse or a reason not to respect his dignity though.
3. Do you have any current health projects that you are really excited about?
In my work, I’m really interested in learning more about ways people use supported decision making to make healthcare choices.
4. How do you like to spend your time outside of this work?
It’s spring sports season for my kids and my favorite thing to do this time of year is be outside watching them play softball and soccer.
