Breast Cancer Screening For All

A Disability Resource Group Outreach, Funded by Susan G Komen for the Cure & the American Cancer Society

The Breast Cancer Screening for All Project was conceived to respond to the need for breast cancer awareness and early prevention among the disability community. Because statistics show that women with disabilities are more likely to die of breast cancer, we started the “Breast Cancer Screening for All” project to address the systemic, attitudinal and access barriers that prevent women with disabilities from fully engaging in preventative health measures.

Our methods for this project focus on peer-to-peer outreach. The Surgeon General’s report on mental health released in 1999 cites peer support as one of the most effective agents of behavior change in people with disabilities. Disability Resource Group, in thirteen years working with a wide cross-section of people with disabilities in Georgia, has also found that peer-to-peer education is vital. A focus group of women with disabilities that we conducted as a part of a three- year American Cancer Society project confirmed that women listened more to other women with the same disability than to the media, posters or other outreach sources.

The specific form of peer-to-peer outreach that we employ for this project is parties! Yes, parties are facilitated by our Health Coordinators for their peers who have disabilities. Our coordinators represent and reach out to women with a wide spectrum of disabilities. Parties happen in homes, community centers or other locations where women with disabilities feel comfortable. They feature fun, educational activities about breast health. Participants receive party favors, educational handouts, self-exam diagram cards and other door prizes. The measure of success for this program is not just in how many women we educate, or how many people we speak with at fairs or events, but how many women with disabilities actually take the next, important step and get a mammogram.

Additionally, our Health Coordinators also participate in related outreach events, such as the “Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure” and local health fairs. They do this in order to educate constituents about the needs of women with disabilities.

Thanks to generous grants from Susan G. Komen for the Cure and The American Cancer Society, Disability Resource Group is able to maintain our “Breast Cancer Screening for All” project and prevent more women with disabilities in the Atlanta area from dying of this frightening disease. Call 770-451-2340 for more information.