ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS

“Neighborhoods with large black populations tend to have lower life expectancies than communities that are majority white, Hispanic or Asian. 

Such racial differences reflect the places in which different races live, not the individual characteristics of people themselves,” she reveals. 

“Research shows that black communities are less likely to have access to resources that promote health, like grocery stores with fresh foods, places to exercise and quality health facilities.

This is true even in middle-class neighborhoods.”

Research from the Census Bureau and researchers at Harvard and Brown universities shows children from places that are economically disadvantaged tend to have worse outcomes as adults. 

Jessica Owens-Young reports that research also proves that where local government spending is higher, life expectancies increase among those with lower incomes.

ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS 

Jessica Owens-Young, Assistant Professor of Health Studies at the American University, wrote her interpretation of data showed that at the neighborhood level, longevity differences are sometimes even more drastic, appearing even when communities are only a few miles apart.

“In Washington, D.C., for example, people living in the Barry Farms neighborhood face a life expectancy of 63.2 years. Yet, less than 10 miles away, a baby born in Friendship Heights and Friendship Village can expect to live 96.1 years, according to CDC data,” she stated.

Owens-Young concludes land use, public policy and civic neglect as causes that leave black populations without the amenities needed to live long, healthy lives.

ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS

Being born in the wrong ZIP code can shorten your life – is the jarring headline in a story about disparity published in The Conversation by Jessica Owens-Young, Assistant Professor of Health Studies at the American University.

 

The average live expectancy in the U.S. is 78.8 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

“However, life expectancy varies widely across geography. A child born in Mississippi today could expect to never reach his or her 75th birthday. 

But a child born in California, Hawaii or New York could expect to reach their expect to live into the early 80s,” Owens-Young wrote. 

GLOBAL DISABILITY INCLUSION NAMED TO FAST COMPANY'S ANNUAL LIST

OF THE WORLD'S MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES FOR 2023

This is fabulous news — not just for Global Disability Inclusion and its clients.

But this also means the prestigious and cutting edge Fast Company recognizes that disability inclusion is a key aspect of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — a proven pathway to a better workforce and healthier profits.

Proud to collaborate with Meg O'Connell, Founder & CEO of GDI.

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

BUTTIGIEG: 

We have to work on the steps that we know have the potential to unlock a better life for so many. 

We must [create an environment where people with disabilities can] reach their fullest potential.

Steve Wright is a Miami-based writer, planner, and educator.

He frequently lectures nationally — including at APA 2022 in San Diego — and globally on the subject, and works with teams on inclusive urban planning projects.

He also tweets and blogs daily about diversity, disability, and the wealth of cities.

 

 

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

BUTTIGIEG: 

All of us have a stake in it. 

The state must support a society that allows everybody to thrive. 

That is really what is so urgent about this, because there are many problems that society or America hasn't solved — like, we are trying to figure out nuclear fusion.

But unlike particle physics, a lot of questions about accessibility have been addressed.

We've figured out how to do things from curb cuts to safe transportation of people who use wheelchairs for mobility. 

And yet, it's not happening everywhere.

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

WRIGHT: Too many elected and appointed officials act like accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities is some kind of charity or favor. 

How are you addressing this?

BUTTIGIEG: The cost of inaccessibility comes down hardest on the people who are directly affected by it. 

But it really comes down on everybody and anybody who might benefit from an invention, an innovation, that comes from a well-employed person meeting their full potential, regardless of disability.