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Disability Health Access Healthcare Consulting Successful Community Relations Strategic Communications
National Healthcare Accessibility Leadership

Innovations in our health-care system present opportunities to provide better quality care for people with disabilities.

Disability Health Access (DHA) provides expert consulting to health plans, public agencies, private corporations, and non-profits to design fully accessible, legally compliant healthcare services.

44M+ Americans living with a disability
25+ Yrs Expert policy & advocacy experience
100% Accessibility & legal compliance focus

Serving as a single source to meet the needs of consumers with disabilities

Disability Health Access (DHA) develops dynamic solutions to address the challenges of designing a health-care system accessible to individuals with disabilities.

DHA can serve as a single source for your organization to meet the comprehensive needs of consumers with disabilities. It draws on healthcare delivery innovations, health and wellness research, and consumers' direct expertise to facilitate meaningful collaboration among experts from the healthcare system and the disability community.

Healthcare Innovations

Utilizing modern healthcare delivery systems and health promotion research to optimize care access.

Consumer Expertise

Centering the authentic lived experiences of individuals with disabilities in system design.

Community Collaboration

Building strong bridges between managed care plans, public agencies, and disability organizations.

Areas of Expertise

Disability Health Access provides specialized consulting solutions tailored to health plans, government bodies, and advocacy organizations.

01

Assisting with Legal Compliance

Navigating state and federal disability legislation to ensure equitable, compliant health delivery.

  • Advising on regulatory compliance & ADA mandates
  • Developing and overseeing internal policies & procedures
  • Evaluating state Medicaid contracts and federal policy
02

Community Relations

Building authentic, impactful partnerships between healthcare providers and community organizations.

  • Identifying & building relationships with disability CBOs
  • Ensuring community events are 100% physically & digitally accessible
  • Designing targeted outreach events for diverse disability audiences
03

Strategic Communications

Creating accessible communications that resonate with disability communities and healthcare leaders.

  • Building systematic accessibility communication plans
  • Ensuring all organizational materials meet accessible format standards
  • Developing marketing strategies tailored to disability consumers
04

Staff Disability Awareness Training

Empowering healthcare staff and recruiters with knowledge to deliver respectful, accommodations-ready service.

  • Custom staff disability awareness curriculum
  • Educating hiring managers on legal interview requirements
  • Implementing effective workplace accommodation strategies
05

Service Delivery Enhancement

Refining healthcare service delivery models to optimize care quality and medical equipment access.

  • Targeted consumer health education curricula
  • Systems for evaluating provider network accessibility
  • Tools for targeted care management & equipment fulfillment
06

Diverse Client Portfolio

Trusted consulting partner across public, private, and non-profit healthcare sectors.

  • Health Plans & Managed Care Systems
  • Government Service Contractors & Public Agencies
  • Consumer Advocacy Groups & Healthcare Consulting Firms

Our Mission & Vision

Understanding the dynamics of providing people-centered services to consumers with disabilities.

"Innovations in our healthcare system present unparalleled opportunities to provide higher quality care for people with disabilities. The challenge is integrating medical services, community resources, and health promotion research to empower individuals to Live Healthy with a Disability."

01 Cultural & Functional Diversity

Diverse Consumers

The experience of disability varies widely across types of disability and ethnocultural background. Healthcare systems must provide disability-appropriate, culturally competent services to every individual.

02 High Utilizer Quality Care

Frequent Consumers

Many people with disabilities are high utilizers of healthcare care. We help systems advance health, well-being, and longevity while encouraging self-directed wellness to prevent costly health complications.

03 ADA & Legal Compliance

Legally Aware Consumers

Consumers with disabilities know their legal rights to physical and communication access under state/federal law. We help providers move beyond compliance to deliver equitably accommodated care.

04 Consumer-Centered Insights

Knowledgeable Consumers

Individuals with disabilities often possess deep insight into their own care needs. We assist healthcare systems in harnessing this consumer expertise for more efficient care delivery.

Anne Cohen, MPH - Director of Disability Health Access
Director, MPH

Anne Cohen, MPH

Director & Principal Healthcare Accessibility Consultant

Meeting the challenges of healthcare accessibility demands deep experience across medical delivery systems, wellness research, and direct connections with disability communities. Anne Cohen brings over two decades of expert leadership in healthcare policy, managed care quality, and disability advocacy.

Professional Leadership Experience

  • Program Manager for Medicaid Managed Care Plans
  • Advisor on State & National Disability Healthcare Reform Initiatives
  • Research Fellow with Disability Health & Wellness Organizations

What Leaders Say About DHA

Perspectives from health plans, foundations, state policy advisors, and advocacy leaders.

"Anne is as skilled as she is passionate about expanding opportunity for people with disabilities in our workforce. I’ve been fortunate to work with her on industry initiatives and saw first hand the impact she’s had in bringing stakeholders together to raise awareness and drive to solutions."

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Amyn Thawer

Vice-President, Global Compliance & Integrity at LinkedIn Corp.

"Anne brings a deep passion for accessibility and community organization, and her execution makes her talent clear. I witnessed Anne as she planned the Global Accessibility Symposium, a diversity and inclusion conference, highlighting the talent of individuals with disabilities for the technology and media industries. Bootstrapping this unique event, Anne drove the event from concept to execution, landing the prestigious Computer History Museum, bringing over 300 attendees, and robust sponsorships from the Waymos to the LinkedIns of the world, raising funds in mere 6 weeks."

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Anirudh Koul

GenAI@Pinterest, Hippocratic AI | Founder of Seeing AI

"Anne Cohen is a passionate advocate and brings creativity and a strong work ethic to all her projects!"

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Emily Beitiks

Co-Director, San Francisco Disability Cultural Center

"Anne is a consummate and dedicated professional who truly understands the unique nuances confronting people with disabilities both for accessing health care, and coverage as well as employment. She was often times my 'go to person' who mentored me on issues related to hiring people with disabilities and assuring that my process and procedures were current and provided optimal opportunities to the workforce of people with disabilities that we continue to hire."

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Merry Korn

CEO MPK Enterprise Holdings, Inc. | Author & Executive Speaker

"As founder of an innovative inclusive playground, it was critical to our success to ensure we knew as much as possible about the community we serve and we truly thank our lucky stars for Anne Cohen! Her knowledge of both national and local thought leaders, community groups, influencers have produced connections and donors for our organization that we wouldn't have otherwise known about. Anne is exceedingly responsive and goes the extra mile each and every time. Her infectious enthusiasm and genuine care is evident in all she does."

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Olenka Steciw Villarreal

Founder and CEO, Magical Bridge Foundation

"Anne Cohen is a consultant who has a passion for disability rights and health care policy. She is knowledgeable and dedicated to her clients."

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Alice Wong

Staff Research Associate, Disability Advocate & Research Consultant

"Her knowledge on disability policy connects policy with daily activities we take for granted. Our organization had an overwhelmingly positive response to her training and brought about healthy discussion and debate. Her passion is an asset we need more of."

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Ramla Jirde MBA, MPH

Quality Improvement Specialist, Health Plan of San Mateo

"Anne is an expert in her field who provides high quality/high value work product and works well with colleagues and clients."

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Susan Bauer

Vice President, US Services, Health Mid-Atlantic at MAXIMUS, Inc.

"Anne and I worked together as part of the Long-Term Services and Supports workgroup under the Coordinated Care Initiative. She demonstrated a thorough understanding of state health policy, as well as managed care operations and the development of integrated systems of care. She provides thoughtful analysis and understands the dynamics of working with diverse groups of individuals representing a range of interests."

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Sarah Steenhausen

Deputy Director of Policy, Research and Engagement, CA Dept of Aging

"Anne was an attendee, then the chair of a very rich session on disability issues, then organizer and moderator of a panel on consumer perspectives on dual eligibles at National Medicaid Congress events. She is a terrific resource and both well connected and well respected."

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Raymond Carter

Conference Coordinator at Health Care Conference Administrators & Editor at Health Policy Publishing

"Anne is a hard working, insightful advocate for the needs of persons with disabilities. She looks for feasible implementable solutions that serve clients' needs."

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Sandra Shewry

Chair, CARESTAR Board of Directors (former VP, California HealthCare Foundation)

"Anne worked with our managed Medicaid plan to evaluate the feasibility of increasing our membership of seniors and persons with disabilities. Anne is extremely knowledgeable and well-connected in her field."

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Alison K Lum

Healthcare Executive (formerly Director, Pharmacy Benefit Operations, Blue Shield of California)

"Anne Cohen is a great resource on the intersection of disability and health care, particularly managed care systems. She has a terrific understanding of both fields and is able to build bridges between the disability and health care communities. She is an intelligent, thoughtful person and very adept at analysis, strategic planning, and helping groups work together."

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Eve Hill

Leading Disability Rights Attorney & Strategic Consultant

"What distinguished Anne from her peers was her ability to turn great empathy into practical business solutions. Her work substantially enhanced the health plan. I would recommend Anne without hesitation."

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Keith Quinlivan

Senior Health Plan Executive, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP)

National Disability Statistics

Understanding the vast population scale requiring accessible healthcare solutions.

8,241,120

Vision Disability

Americans living with a vision impairment or blindness.

12,450,200

Hearing Disability

Americans living with a severe hearing impairment or deafness.

21,780,500

Ambulatory Disability

Americans living with a mobility or ambulatory disability.

44,100,000+

Total Disability

Total individuals in the US living with one or more disabilities.

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) & Annual Disability Statistics Compendium.

Research Papers & Fact Sheets

Exploration of healthcare accessibility, policy algorithms, and consumer equipment guides.

Journal Article Oct 2008

Identifying and Classifying People with Disabilities Using Claims Data: ARCS Algorithm

Disability and Health Journal

Software algorithm using automated claims data to classify consumers by routine care coordination needs.

Research Report Dec 2005

Designing a System of Quality Care

National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD)

Historical analysis and modern framework for managed care delivery models serving families with disabilities.

PDF Fact Sheet Jul 2016

Get Rolling: Tips on Paying For Mobility Equipment — Navigating Medicare

Independent Living Resources San Francisco (ILRCSF)

Practical fact sheet on Medicare coverage criteria for complex rehab technology and mobility equipment.

PDF Fact Sheet Jul 2016

Get Rolling: Tips on Paying For Mobility Equipment — Navigating Medi-Cal

Independent Living Resources San Francisco (ILRCSF)

Navigating Medi-Cal authorization, durable medical equipment policies, and appeal rights.

PDF Fact Sheet Jun 2016

Get Rolling: Navigating Employer & Private Insurance Coverage

Independent Living Resources San Francisco (ILRCSF)

Tips for working with commercial insurance plans to obtain essential mobility hardware.

PDF Fact Sheet Jul 2016

Get Rolling: Exploring the Bay Area & Beyond — Accessible Recreation & Travel

Independent Living Resources San Francisco (ILRCSF)

Guide to accessible sports, outdoor venues, travel logistics, and adaptive recreation.

PDF Fact Sheet Jul 2016

Get Rolling: Becoming a Smart Consumer — Purchasing Mobility Equipment

Independent Living Resources San Francisco (ILRCSF)

Consumer guidelines for evaluating wheelchairs, scooters, and assistive technology vendors.

PDF Fact Sheet Jul 2016

Get Rolling: Accessible Travel Tips — Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Independent Living Resources San Francisco (ILRCSF)

Comprehensive travel logistics guide for passengers using mobility equipment across transit modes.