The Competencies have been developed by a national committee comprised of disability and public health experts. Work to develop the Competencies began in 2010 through a previous cooperative agreement between the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), Disability and Health Branch and the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD). This work continued in 2015 with a cooperative agreement with the Office of the Director, CDC (ODCCDC), NCBDDD and the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support (OT), and concluded in 2016.  The Competencies aim to expand workforce skills and practices to ultimately enable public health professionals to successfully develop programs and activities that include people with disabilities.

Stage 1. (2011-2012) Creation of the competencies.

The Development Committee, a national work committee comprised of 21 experts representing state, local and university-based public health practices, identified and drafted the four competencies, based on existing public health literature, public health curricula, and other public health competencies and standards. This committee provided their expertise on content development, researched competencies, standards, and curricula, and created the competencies based on this research and their content knowledge.  Public health partners (National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), American Public Health Association (APHA), and others) were utilized for their expertise and help in disseminating the draft product to solicit feedback from their networks. The document was then updated and vetted by the Development Committee.

Stage 2. (2015-2016) Revise the competencies, solicit review and comment for the revised version, create a final document and disseminate to the current public health workforce.

To revise the document, AUCD reached out to public health professionals from the former competencies Development Committee as well as other recognized disability experts and organizational leaders to review, discuss and revise the Stage 1 draft.   A Work Group and Advisory Group assisted with the review and revision of the Competencies. The Work Group assisted with researching public health competencies, standards, and curricula.  The Advisory Group assisted with the review of the revisions. Professional partners including the APHA Disability Section and the Alliance provided guidance and input, solicitation of feedback, and help with dissemination.