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Building Healthy Inclusive Communities through the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD)


Founded in 1999, the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) is a public health practice and resource center on health promotion for people with disability. NCHPAD seeks to help people with disability and other chronic health conditions achieve health benefits through increased participation in all types of physical and social activities, including fitness and aquatic activities, recreational and sports programs, adaptive equipment usage, and more. NCHPAD actively works to create healthy equity for people with disability by providing individualized information, referral and consultation services to people with disability, families, caregivers, policymakers, community members, health care practitioners and public health professionals through an expansive array of web-based materials and health communication endeavors. Additionally, NCHPAD conducts national training initiatives that educate disability and non-disability service providers in community health inclusion. NCHPAD is creating local level sustainability and inclusion through Inclusive Health Coalitions across the United States that promote community and individual behavior change focusing on leadership and planning strategies which support community health inclusion. The collaborative nature of NCHPAD is based on the Center’s strong belief that strategic partnerships are necessary for successful development and sustainability of Community Health Inclusion. NCHPAD welcomes organizations who are working to decrease chronic disease and obesity to join in the inclusion efforts

NCHPAD is the premier resource for information on physical activity, health promotion, and disability, serving persons with physical, sensory and cognitive disability across the lifespan.NCHPAD’s features a variety of resources and services which can benefit all ages and populations and can be found online at www.nchpad.org.