Making Substance Use Treatment More Accessible for People With Disabilities

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) can affect anyone, but access to treatment is not the same for everyone. A study of accessibility across U.S. AUD treatment programs with outpatient substance use services found that only 41.4% of programs reported wheelchair access, 42.7% reported sign language access, and 33.0% reported services for clients with hearing impairment.

These findings point to a need for treatment programs to consider accessibility as part of routine care. For people with disabilities, barriers such as transportation, communication, physical access, and lack of accommodations can make it more difficult to enter or remain in treatment.

Who Treatment Materials Create Barriers

Traditional substance use treatment may rely on written materials, group discussions, verbal instruction, and standard clinical environments. These approaches may not work equally well for every participant. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) may benefit from information presented in concrete language, repeated when helpful, and delivered at a pace that allows for understanding.

As CSBMG continues to provide services to people with disabilities, treatment programs can become more accessible by pairing substance use education with visual supports, plain language materials, structured learning modules and materials that clinicians, caregivers, and family members can review with participants.

People with lived experience should shape the supports, explaining what language or what types of explaining is useful with support.

Care Begins With the Person

Accessible treatment means asking what helps someone understand information, make choices, and participate in their recovery. That may include using plain language, checking understanding without judgment, allowing more time, or involving a trusted support person when the individual wants one.

The research reinforces the importance of ensuring that AUD and differing treatment that account for the needs of people with disabilities (Slater et al., 2024). At CSBMG, we believe every person deserves to be heard, treated with dignity, and supported in their pathways toward pursuing recovery.

References

Slater, S. E., R.E.S., M. Stewart, Y. Stewart, M. T. Labbeville, M. R. Hughes, L. Crouse, J. D., Shile-Khamsi, J. A., Morgan, L. (2024). Alcohol use disorder diagnosis among…